# III: The Strange Face explained — The Island of Doctor Moreau

> Chapter companion for The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells.

## What happens

Prendick and Montgomery encounter a misshapen, black-faced man on the ship's companionway, whose grotesque appearance shocks Prendick. The man is abused by the drunken captain and set upon by the staghounds, leading to a heated confrontation between Montgomery and the captain over the treatment of the man and the filthy state of the ship. Prendick intervenes to prevent a physical fight, drawing the captain's wrath upon himself.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humanity vs. Animality

The black-faced man's animal-like appearance and behavior, combined with the dogs' ferocity, blur the line between human and beast.

### Isolation and Alienation

The misshapen man is ostracized and abused by the crew, and Prendick feels like a 'bit of human flotsam' cut off from resources.

### Fear and Control

The captain exerts violent control over the ship, while Montgomery and Prendick struggle to assert any authority or protect the vulnerable man.

## Character check-ins

### Edward Prendick

Narrator who is shocked by the misshapen man's appearance and intervenes to prevent a fight between Montgomery and the captain.

### Montgomery

Defends the black-faced man from the captain's abuse and quarrels with the captain over the treatment of his attendant.

### The Captain

Drunken, abusive captain who assaults the black-faced man and threatens Montgomery, asserting his authority over the ship.

### The Beast Folk

The misshapen black-faced man, a Beast Folk, is cowering and abused, speaking with a queer hoarse voice.

## Key lines

> He was, I could see, a misshapen man, short, broad, and clumsy, with a crooked back, a hairy neck, and a head sunk between his shoulders.

Prendick observes that the man is deformed, with a hunched back, thick neck, and a head that seems set low between his shoulders.

_First description of the Beast Folk, emphasizing physical deformity._

> In some indefinable way the black face thus flashed upon me shocked me profoundly. It was a singularly deformed one. The facial part projected, forming something dimly suggestive of a muzzle, and the huge half-open mouth showed as big white teeth as I had ever seen in a human mouth.

The sudden sight of the man's dark, muzzle-like face with enormous teeth deeply unsettles Prendick.

_Highlights the disturbing animalistic features of the Beast Folk._

> I’m the law here, I tell you⁠—the law and the prophets.

The captain declares himself the absolute authority on the ship.

_Illustrates the captain's tyrannical control and the theme of law versus chaos._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_island_of_doctor_moreau_se/chapters/iii-the-strange-face
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_island_of_doctor_moreau_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_island_of_doctor_moreau_se/chapters