The Law (beast-men’s code)
E441241
The Law (beast-men’s code) is the strict set of rules governing the behavior, hierarchy, and conduct of the hybrid creatures in H. G. Wells’s *The Island of Dr. Moreau*.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional legal code
ⓘ
set of rules ⓘ social control mechanism ⓘ |
| appearsInMedium | novel ⓘ |
| appearsInWork | The Island of Dr. Moreau NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
Moreau’s animal-human hybrids
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
hybrid creatures ⓘ |
| authorOfSourceWork | H. G. Wells NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| breakdownDepictedAs | reversion of beast-men to animal behavior ⓘ |
| centralMaxim |
“Are we not Men?”
ⓘ
“His is the Hand that heals” ⓘ “His is the Hand that makes” ⓘ “His is the Hand that wounds” NERFINISHED ⓘ “His is the House of Pain” ⓘ “Law is the Law” ⓘ |
| createdByCharacter | Dr. Moreau NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| enforcedBy |
Dr. Moreau
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sayer of the Law NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| enforcedThrough |
religious-like awe of Moreau
ⓘ
terror ⓘ |
| function |
maintain hierarchy among beast-men
ⓘ
regulate behavior of beast-men ⓘ reinforce human-like conduct ⓘ suppress animal instincts ⓘ |
| governs | beast-men ⓘ |
| hasTheme |
artificial morality
ⓘ
conflict between humanity and animality ⓘ control and domination ⓘ limits of vivisection and science ⓘ |
| includesProhibition |
“Not to chase other Men”
ⓘ
“Not to claw the Bark of Trees” ⓘ “Not to eat Flesh or Fish” ⓘ “Not to go on all-fours” ⓘ “Not to spill blood” ⓘ “Not to suck up Drink” ⓘ |
| invokesFearOf | House of Pain NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| modeOfTransmission |
oral recitation
ⓘ
ritual chant ⓘ |
| narrativeRole | drives tension between order and chaos on the island ⓘ |
| partOf | The Island of Dr. Moreau NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryLocationInFiction | Moreau’s island NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| purpose |
distinguish beast-men from animals
ⓘ
instill fear of punishment ⓘ keep beast-men obedient to Moreau ⓘ |
| recitedBy | Sayer of the Law NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| sanction |
physical punishment
ⓘ
return to the House of Pain ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
fragility of moral conditioning
ⓘ
imposed civilization ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.