And with Moreau's growing skill, one closer to being a human companion.Īs we said though, this is just one possibility. Although the pain he causes the animal is excruciating, he knows it will provide another member to the community. For Montgomery, the experiments are a necessary evil, granting him a chance to replace the social life he longs for with this mockup society. Moreau considers his experiments important because they allow him unlock to the mysteries of the cosmos. Maybe he sees Moreau's experiments as necessary-though in a different way than the doctor. He even tries to party with them, with what we'd call mixed results (see below).

And that seems pretty accurate.īetween Moreau, who wants nothing to do with them, and Prendick, who is alternatively terrified and disgusted with them, Montgomery interacts with them regularly and with the most ease (14.47). Prendick believes he has 'been with them so long that he had come to regard them as almost normal human beings' (15.10). One possibility is that Montgomery stays because he truly does care for the Beast Folk. Why do you think Montgomery stays with Moreau? Was what he did that awful or does something else keep him there? The Beast Folk Whisperer Wow, there's a lot of whys up there, but we've got one more. But then Montgomery dies, and we still don't know anything about him. Having such a mysterious character certainly makes it iffy as to whether or not Prendick is really safe with Montgomery. After all, there are many dangerous times when Prendick must rely on Montgomery, such as before he discovers Moreau's secret and after Moreau dies. He could have escaped anytime he went to the mainland for supplies, so why keep coming back?įor that matter, why did Wells choose to have Montgomery be such an ambiguous character? Why not just tell us about him and his past? It adds suspense to the novel, sure. Moreau's work clearly agitates Montgomery emotionally in chapter eight, the man winces every time the puma cries. Maybe more importantly, we are left in the dark as to why he stays with Moreau. We are never told how he came to know Moreau or why he decided to work for the doctor. What exactly he did is punctuated with a big-old question mark.

We understand he left London society after he 'made a young ass of ' (2.21) and 'lost head for ten minutes on a foggy night' (4.12). Montgomery is Moreau's assistant on the island, and we know little else about the man, his past, or his motivations.

The island of doctor moreau