HG Wells believed intensely in the productive aspects of science and the potential of the human race. At the same time, he was also keenly aware that scientific knowledge in the wrong hands could lead to evils caused by the darker aspects of humanity. Wells develops a brilliant metaphor in the form of surgery as a means of combining and commenting on the positive and negative division of scientific progress in the hands of a brute race. In The Island of Dr. Moreau and “Under the Knife,” Wells develops his idea that surgery will be necessary to realize his hopes for a utopian society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayA utopian ideal was not a hopelessly unattainable possibility for HG Wells, but he was pragmatic enough to understand that it would require action unpleasant social situations. construction. In “A Modern Utopia,” he acknowledges the obstacle that stands in the way of a perfect society: “Then there are people suffering from certain filthy and communicable diseases. All these people are ruining the world for others. They can become parents, and for most of them there is clearly nothing to be done but to isolate them from the great body of the population” (Wells 142). He offers a very interesting solution to this problem, what he calls “social surgery” (Wells 142). He immediately admits that this type of extreme social construction could end in disaster if those responsible were cruel in its implementation, but he gives a glimpse of his innate optimism by suggesting that a true utopia be governed by benevolent leaders. Wells would return to the metaphor of surgery as a means of cleansing the body politic in The Island of Dr. Moreau and “Under the Knife.” Although Wells is often accused of distrusting humanity and having pessimistic views of the future and its possibilities, The Island of Dr. Moreau and "Under the Knife" both offer glimmers of hope within by Wells which undermine this argument. The problem is that Wells' view of humanity tends to confound critics, as in this statement: "There is no doubt that The Island of Dr. Moreau is a deeply pessimistic book, and his Swiftian view of nature human is not a simple literary exercise. » (Scheick 28). What Scheick and many other critics fail to realize is that, just as Jonathan Swift's Yahoos are not meant to be strictly equated with human beings, neither are the Beastmen of Dr. Moreau's Island. more intended to represent the future of humanity. The point of Moreau's experiments is that they prove that humans are not just animals; Wells hopes that the surgical knife could eliminate the ugliness that prevents society from achieving utopian ideals, and he presents it. wish in the novel in a unique way. Wells turns the tables on his idea of ​​surgical removal of imperfections by having Dr. Moreau attempt to create a utopia not by eliminating corrupt members of society with his knife, but rather by attempting to repair and perfect. them. By defeating Moreau, Wells succeeded in proving his initial assertion that those who defile and poison the population should be expelled. While it is understandable that this idea could be misinterpreted as being pessimistic and distrustful of humanity, it actually offers hope that problems can be solved simply by admitting that human beings are not perfect and can be infected; as for thecancer, the solution to better health lies simply in removing them. HG Wells' belief that society's lot could be improved by a surgical revolution is rooted in his adherence to socialist values ​​which view history through the prism of exploitation rather than exploitation. like a divine plan. The lower-class environment into which Wells was born undoubtedly shaped his politics, which became even more pronounced after his embrace of socialist ideals. In his early youth Wells became an avid reader, and his education convinced him that, as one critic put it, "only by the revision of the species can the species survive" (Reed 124). Revision and surgical application are two motifs evident in much of Wells' writing, but particularly in The Island of Dr. Moreau and "Under the Knife." Interestingly, the symbolism of surgery as a means of correcting the ills of the body politic is approached from two different angles, but each leads to the same conclusion. Dr. Moreau attempts to surgically improve society by elevating the polluted and foul members to a heightened state of being, whereas surgery in "Under the Knife" is used to remove the foul and infected part of man. Moreau goes beyond himself, attempting to usurp God's position as creator. But man is not God; he cannot upset the balance of nature by improving it. Moreau's utter failure to achieve his goals speaks not only to his non-divine status, but also to the futility of trying to improve society by changing human nature. Although Wells believed that knowledge was the key to the success of socialist ideals, he also recognized that you cannot teach a person who refuses to learn (Reed 124). The survival of the species therefore requires not only education, but also excision. The character in “Under the Knife” experiences a euphoric vision of what life at its best could be like, but this ideal can only be achieved once the infamous disease is eradicated. The actions of the character Prendick are another indication that Wells is not offering a pessimistic view of humanity in The Island of Dr. Moreau, but rather offers hope that all is not lost. The character in “Under the Knife” ponders the possibility that the higher qualities of humanity evolved from a baser animal instinct and the question of what would remain if these higher qualities were removed (Wells 108 ). The answer lies on Dr. Moreau's island. Prendick comes into contact with creatures whose evolution has been surgically applied. However, the fit is not good; it lacks a natural binding agent. Even if Dr. Moreau can transplant the animal into man, the psychological divide still exists. As a result, these higher qualities can be suppressed, resulting in the return to the bestial nature that Prendick witnesses. At first, of course, Prendick is appalled by these abominations, these men who are not quite men. Gradually he becomes imbued with a feeling of sympathy, but as a result of this expression of sympathy putting the leopard man out of his misery, Prendick falls into a state of apathy in which he becomes numb to the world. grotesque that surrounds him. Prendick's callous acceptance is both an answer to the question posed by the man from "Under the Knife" and Wells' answer to the need for social surgery. If the higher qualities that separate humanity disappear, humanity will return to pure instinctive survival and, ultimately, society will become more desensitized to and accepting of the horror of this spectacle. The reason infected members of the population must be surgically cut out in order to,1988.