Throughout H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Dr. Moreau” many thematic points of intersection can be highlighted throughout the text. Within these points of intersection I noticed a possible ideological transformation that is solidified within the final moments of the novel surrounding the character of Prendick. Prendick describes himself as being mentally ill after experiencing the Island with Dr. Moreau and is seeing a psychologist in order for him to get through each day, however, I believe that Prendick’s terror, “They say that terror is a disease, and anyhow, I can witness that for several years now, a restless fear has dwelt in my mind, such a restless fear as a half-tamed lion cub may feel” (102) is in reality a transformation of the imperialistic idea surrounding the “white man’s burden”. The white man’s burden which aims to validate the white man’s oppression of native peoples as seen within Prendick, “The little pink sloth creature dashed at me and I cut it over, gashed down its ugly face with the nail in my stick,” (46) occurs many times of the as well as through Dr. Moreau’s practice of vivisection and the Laws of Man he inflicts upon the civilization. However, Prendick’s white man’s burden I believe transforms from a kind of burden to what it truly is which is in reality a horrifying truth that he has contributed to so much pain and suffering and that he himself is in fact an animal. Prendick states, “For that reason I live near the broad free downland, and can escape thither when this shadow is over my soul” (103) the words “this shadow over my soul” is what I believe at one point was Prendick’s own imperialistic white man’s burden however, has now escalated into that searing and horrific realization of the pain that he and other men are able to cause. While the “shadow” originally stems from the idea of the white man’s burden its reality is only illuminated for Prendick once he has already caused and witnessed such harm lead by the misleading “white man’s burden”.
This is an interesting take on the meaning of the white man’s burden. The Kipling poem that uses this phrase takes the burden of the white man to go out into the world and take responsibility to improve the lives of lesser peoples than themselves, despite the task being undesirable or difficult. But now, in the case of Prendick, the burden is an emotional one that he alone must deal with. He, and the Victorians he is representing, have to come to terms with the fact that they had some role in, and are therefore also capable, of extraordinary acts of violence committed against other human beings, or near humans in Prendick’s case.