Animal Cruelty - or In this Case Human Cruelty

Pierre Boulle's Planet of the Apes is an interesting social critique, where we the humans are treated the way we treat animals (more specifically apes). By assigning humans animalistic traits and rendering them incapable of thought, Boulle is making critiquing animal cruelty. Throughout his novel he poses the question : If humans were unable to communicate coherently would it be ok to treat them as animal? And if not, then why is it ok to treat animals with such cruelty? The main character Ulysse Merou is challenged with trying to keep his humanity (or at least what we define as humanity) while locked up in a cage like an animal. While "most of [his] companions were restlessly pacing up and down their cages in the manner of captive animals" he had to control himself to assume "as human and as pensive an attitude as possible" (88), hoping that someone would take notice. Unlike his companion, Professor Antelle, Ulysse sustains his humanity and due to the compasion of Zira is able to escape. Antelle is a foil for Ulysse's character because he is unable to escape the opression of the Ape society and becomes what has been projected onto him (a mindless human). When Ulysse comes to set him free at the zoo, Professor Antelle "showed not the slightest sign of comprehension but, with another frightnend gesture like that of a startled beast, recoiled still further" (186). Through Antelle, Boulle is showing that even a very intellectual human is capable of losing his humanity when treated in the same way we currently treat animals. Planet of the Apes critically represent our society and the question of humanity.