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As the novel’s narrator and protagonist, Prendick is the vehicle through which the novel’s mystery and drama unfold. His slow piecing-together of the meaning of his experiences propels the novel forward, while his observations and emotions offer reflections on its most significant themes. As a biologist, Prendick initially finds himself confused and astonished by the strange Beast People of the island, whom he finds grotesque, unnatural, and terrifying. But as the novel progresses, he comes to sympathize with the Beast People as victims, subject to cruelty and torture at the hands of their ruthless creator, Moreau.
Prendick’s most noteworthy quality is his sense of morality. He is not a religious man, but at one point Montgomery calls him a “saint of an atheist.” He abstains from alcohol and vociferously objects to cruelty and violence. These qualities emerge early in the novel when he defends M’ling from the abuses of the drunken Captain Davies, and they surface again when he confronts Moreau about the cruelty of his methods. Prendick also objects to the shameless oppression of the Beast People through the Law, a religion cynically implanted in their minds to suppress their animal instincts, especially those that pose a danger to humans.
Prendick himself is not immune to such dangers, and the death of Moreau tests his moral resolve by threatening to unleash a rebellion of the Beast Folk that would no doubt claim his own life. Perhaps surprisingly, Prendick responds to this test with an immoral act, using a big lie to perpetuate the subjugation of the Beast People under the Law, much like Moreau had done. This betrayal of his values suggests that Prendick’s own animal instinct—particularly that of self-preservation—is stronger than his moral code.
