The Island of Doctor Moreau

Montgomery and Moreau typically carry whips when they go outside of the compound; the Beast People even refer to them as the “ones with whips.” The whips serve a practical purpose as weapons in case the Beast People become unruly, and they are also symbolic of how tyrannical authorities maintain power using fear and pain. Moreau, and to a lesser extent Montgomery, maintain authority by instilling fear in the Beast People; the Beast People could easily overpower their masters since they are both physically stronger and more numerous. Moreau does inflict physical suffering on the Beast People in the House of Pain, but only because they accept him as an authority figure who has the right to punish them. The whip symbolizes how Moreau uses Violence and Fear as Strategies to Maintain Control rather than affection or respect, which is significant since there are counterexamples wherein a beast-person bonds with an individual and loyally serves him (for example, M’ling’s loyalty to Montgomery, and Prendick’s relationship with the Dog Man). By extension, the whip symbolizes a kind of authority that is always tenuous and unstable; Moreau only maintains his hold on power by ensuring that the Beast People are afraid of him.