The colonial subject and humanity in Robinson Crusoe and The Island of Doctor Moreau

Abstract

This thesis looks at the early modern novel Robinson Crusoe (1719) and late nineteenth century novel The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896). Both these novels involve their protagonists stranding on an island after a shipwreck. Here they find that they are not the only ones living on the island. Robinson Crusoe finds cannibals, while the protagonist of The Island of Doctor Moreau finds human/animal hybrids. Thus, the representation of the Other becomes important in the analysis of these novels. However, while both these novels contain a protagonist trying to survive on an island, their genres are different. Robinson Crusoe is a colonial narrative, while The Island of Doctor Moreau is a science fiction novel. They do use the Other as a form of reflection. Therefore, this thesis will compare the representation of the colonial subject in Robinson Crusoe and the representation of the human/animal hybrids in The Island of Doctor Moreau. This will illustrate how the definition of humanity was influenced by colonialism and transformed into the definition found in the late nineteenth century.