The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

In The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Montgomery, Carlota, and to some extent, the hybrids, are all abused and harmed by parental figures, creating a nuanced exploration of the impact of parent-child relationships characterized by abuse and oppression rather than love and support. The pattern of parental abuse in the novel underscores the coming-of-age journey between Innocence and Experience by highlighting the characters’ need to develop independent and autonomous identities when they cannot rely on their parents to be sources of care or safety. However, even beyond the development of independent adult identities, the impact of parental abuse and oppression remains. Even as a grown man, Montgomery is haunted by memories of his cruel and abusive father; he can clearly recall “his father’s insidious beatings” (17). These childhood experiences play a significant role in the cynical worldview that Montgomery develops, and contribute to his tendency toward self-punishment and his problematic relationship with alcohol. Even though Montgomery escaped from his abusive parent, he continues to be impacted and haunted by those events. Montgomery’s self-loathing is likely also rooted in how he did not grow up receiving love and care.

In addition to physical violence, the novel positions deception and manipulation as equally harmful forms of parental abuse.