The Island of Doctor Moreau

Content warning: This section of the guide mentions suicidal ideation.

Edward Prendick is the protagonist of the novel; he also narrates most of the story. Prendick is a wealthy and well-educated Englishman who has studied biology. Polite and gentlemanly, Prendick tends toward intellectual pursuits and lacks practical skills. This trait becomes quite problematic when he is desperate to escape the island: When Prendick is unsuccessful at building a raft, he laments that, “a certain lack of practical sense […] has always been my bane” (125). Prendick does not consume any alcohol and steadfastly refuses to do so even when Montgomery pressures him. Despite repeatedly surviving catastrophic events, Prendick is not particularly resilient and can be impulsive in a crisis. After Prendick realizes that Moreau has been conducting grotesque experiments, he wades into the ocean and explains that “I am going to drown myself” (66). He also contemplates suicide again later in the plot. However, Prendick is also motivated by a deep desire to survive and get off the island. Prendick is not a traditional hero in that his survival seems to be primarily a result of fate, rather than his own efforts, but he does repeatedly manage to survive events that wipe out everyone around him.

Prendick’s character often functions as an observer and chronicler, but he is also impacted and changed by the events of the plot. Initially, Prendick is fairly detached and not inclined toward empathy: When he first learns that Moreau is conducting experiments on live animals, Prendick is unbothered, musing that “especially to another scientific man, there was nothing so horrible in vivisection” (35). He is uncomfortable when he can hear the puma screaming in pain, but only because the sound is visceral and forces him to confront that a creature is suffering nearby, when he would otherwise have ignored this reality. However, over time, Prendick becomes more and more sympathetic to the Beast Folk, and is repulsed by Moreau’s arrogance and willingness to inflict suffering on living beings. He now looks at the Beast People and laments, “Poor brutes! I began to see the viler aspect of Moreau’s cruelty” (95). Prendick’s character development is also revealed in his changing attitude toward Montgomery. At first, Prendick openly admires Montgomery, but he becomes disturbed by Montgomery’s passivity and heavy drinking. Prendick eventually coldly tells Montgomery: “you’ve made a beast of yourself” (107). Over time, Prendick becomes thoroughly disenchanted with the island, the experiments, and the individuals who live there.

Prendick’s most significant development as a character is only apparent once he returns to England. Although he was desperate to get back home, he can’t find a sense of peace or belonging once he arrives. Prendick is permanently scarred by the trauma he has endured, and he says, “I do not expect that the terror of that island will ever altogether leave me” (130). Prendick becomes someone who strongly prefers to live an isolated life, “hav[ing] withdrawn myself from the confusion of cities and multitudes” (131), focusing on studies in chemistry and astronomy. Because little information is provided about Prendick’s life before his voyage, it is not clear how dramatically he changes, but while Prendick is able to survive, he never fully leaves his experiences on the island behind him.