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. While Montgomery was openly abused and harmed by his father, Carlota initially feels a close and loving bond with her father, to the point that she considers him “like the sun in the sky, lighting her days” (104). Over time, Carlota discovers that her father has been lying to her for years. Moreau conceals Carlota’s hybrid identity and leads her to believe that she requires specialized medical treatment from him—lies that allow him to dominate her and keep her subservient to his wishes. When she eventually learns the truth, Carlota accuses him of “trying to maintain [her and other hybrids] docile and quiet” (237). Moreau’s cruelty is rooted in his belief in his own superiority and the idea that because he created them, he is entitled to total control over Carlota and the other hybrids. He describes Carlota to Montgomery as, “a project. That is what a child is, Laughton: one great project” (159). Moreau’s arrogance reveals how parental abuse and oppression can be rooted in parent’s inability to see their child as a separate entity—a person rather than a possession.

At the end of the novel, the characters ultimately find freedom and achieve autonomy by extricating themselves from parental relationships. The hybrids make the difficult decision to leave Yaxaktun, the only home they have ever known. Carlota is saddened but ultimately liberated by the death of her father; her autonomy and independence are further cemented when she gives up using the Moreau family name. As she explains, “I’ve only ever been the ‘the doctor’s daughter,’ but I feel as if I may now be someone else and chart my path” (300). Throughout Moreno-Garcia’s novel, parents (or parental figures) consistently fail to provide nurturing care to their offspring, and individuals are best served by choosing their own path and their own identity.