The Island of Doctor Moreau, Chapter 20 summary

Chapter 20 of 23 · 8 min to read the chapter

In Chapter 20, the narrator uses weapons and the Law to command the Beast Folk, but his failed attack on the Hyena-swine increases his fear. His isolation weakens his authority, and hunger drives him into their settlement, where he eats and sleeps behind a fragile barricade.

What happens

The narrator makes three Beast Men kneel, collects weapons and ammunition, and orders them to cast the dead into the sea.
The Hyena-swine challenges his authority, and the narrator fires, misses, and watches him escape toward the burning enclosure.
Alone beside the sea, the narrator fears attack and remembers warnings that the Beast Folk change.
He drives away a doglike follower, then hides near the settlement to observe the others.
Hunger brings him among Beast Folk who do not salute him, and he lacks the strength to demand obedience.
He eats decaying fruit in an empty hut, blocks its entrance with branches, and falls into uneasy sleep.