The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Every so often, I return to my high school reading list to check out the books that I haven't read in ages to see how my understanding of the writing has changed over the years.  Some, I must admit, I have forgotten altogether, so a reread is a good thing, and a fresh experience.  Others, I remember snippets, but not the details.  Such was the case with this novel.  Yes, I know it's a classic... yes I know almost everyone from my generation (and perhaps before) had it on their 'required reading list'... but sometimes when you're young, you don't like being told what to read, so you don't pay attention.  As we age, we attempt to rectify the mistakes of the past... or at the very least, give stuff a second chance.

I found my revisit to the Island interesting.  There were elements and details that I hadn't remembered... and new opinions that I found hiding in the pages.  To make this revisit even more interesting, after reading the book, I watched the 1996 film, with Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, and David Thewlis heading the cast.  The similarities and differences made the book and film two very distinct experiences for me.

I found it interesting that in the book, one of the strongest themes was 'the law.'  The idea that the words we create to manage behavior, expectations, punishments, and rewards were direct results from spoken, memorized, and internalized words was compelling to me.  The emotional refrain seemed to be, 'what makes us men is the words we deem most important.'  Yes, these characters are also set apart from animals because they walk upright and don't eat meat, among other rules... yet the mere fact that they have governing rules expressed in language seemed to be the most influential part about what makes men, men (with the understanding that almost everything in Well's time was gender biased).  The point is, motivation to a desired behavior was extolled in the words.  Salvation, success, evolution... all was predicated on the fact that the difference is words and their focus on the meaning of those words.

In the film, however, the motivation was pain and control.  The film was 'updated' to represent the 'modern' era with a focus on technology and weaponry.  The motivation for men to aspire to be better was found in pain, control, and manipulation, rather than ethical choices.  If a character misbehaved, they were painfully tortured, with an electronic implant instead of being reminded of the strength found in the standards set by a community governed by a rule of law, reinforced by peer pressure and a culture that demanded compliance.  

Also, the strong preoccupation with a romantic relationship in the film that wasn't present in the book made this an entirely different story for me.  The book felt more like a social commentary, the film had more of a hero's journey and rescue theme.  The emphasis seemed to be placed more on the damage done because of the lack of respect for technology and the egotistic ramblings of a madman drunk on his own ambition, rather than the words we use to determine the ethics of community.  This distinction was very strong for me, and because of that element, I felt the book was far more powerful than the film. 

Another difference was the perspective of the storyteller in each edition. In the book, the story was presented in first person, the film in third.  For me, the book was far more disturbing because of the emotional proximity to the events and their impact on the narrator.  Without the distance that third person affords, the reader was forced to emotionally connect with the characters and nothing was distilled. The reader was compelled to look at things head-on, feeling through each moment.  The film audience could lurk behind bushes and watch from a distance, with little direct emotional entanglement.

Still, it was intriguing to notice how a different approach was taken with the book and the film, with each creator focusing on the story elements they thought most interesting or important to their audiences.  

I have no doubt my teenage brain missed these nuances when I read the book the first time, and so I'm glad I took the time to return to the work and experience it in a new way.  This experience reinforced my belief that old books never grow old, they just uncover new layers of our perception.

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