HG Wells War of The Worlds

HG Well's (1886 - 1946) tale of a martian invasion, War of the Worlds (1897), was so terrifying it caused panic when performed on the radio. Fear is at the heart of this early example of science fiction. Here we will look at the plot, themes and characters of HG Wells' novel.

War of the Worlds (1897): summary

HG Wells' science fiction novel War of the Worlds was originally published serially in Pearson's Magazine in 1897. It was one of the first novels to include humanity encountering extraterrestrials. As the title suggests, the encounter was in no way friendly, with Martians invading earth. An unnamed protagonist narrates the story in the first person. The book is one of the first significant works of science fiction.

The War of the Worlds plot is centred around a martian invasion through the eyes of a narrator in Greater London. Some see the book as a commentary on British imperialism, particularly the effect that British colonialism had on the indigenous population in countries under their rule. The novel also played on the fear of invasion Victorian Britain held at the time.

HG Wells' novel has enjoyed enduring popularity, and its influence is far-reaching. There have been many adaptations of the novel across many different mediums. One famous adaptation was a radio programme produced in 1938 by Orson Welles. The radio programme was infamous for causing panic among its audience, who believed the story to be real.

Plot

The novel begins in 1894 with an unnamed narrator who witnesses flashes of light on the planet Mars while at an observatory. His partner disregards these flashes as inconsequential, claiming there is little chance of life on Mars. One day a metallic object from space lands near the narrator's home. After careful observation, the narrator deduces that the object is from Mars. When he next visits the crash site, the object opens and exposes the narrator and a large crowd to the Martians.

Fig 1. - The aliens in War of the Worlds invade Earth from Mars.

Two Martians appear out of the object and the narrator flees in terror at the sight of them. A group of men, including his partner from the observatory, approach the Martians peacefully. After a flash of light, the men have been destroyed. The narrator hurriedly moves his wife to the countryside as the army unsuccessfully tries to stop the Martian's attack. The reader is then introduced to the narrator's younger brother, a medical student in Central London.

Through the narrator's brother, we see a series of events in London where the population eventually become aware of the Martian invasion. The arrival of the Martians spreads panic throughout the city. The young doctor intercepts a group of three men attempting to rob two women. After successfully deterring the robbers, the narrator's brother joins the women in their planned escape to Belgium.

Meanwhile, the narrator befriends a curate as they navigate survival in London. While hiding in the ruins of a house the curate becomes hysterical, leaving the house and getting killed by the Martians. This experience causes the narrator to stay hidden among the ruins.

Once he leaves the ruined houses, the narrator finds that the Martians have abandoned their ships. He meets an artilleryman who plans to begin life anew in the sewers. Although tempted by the plan, the narrator decides to continue further into the centre of London.

He witnesses the mass destruction caused by the Martians. At his lowest point, he hears a Martian, alerted by his presence. Investigating the noise he discovers that the Martian is dying. All the Martians around him have also died; their bodies were unsuitable for life on Earth. The narrator has a nervous breakdown but soon recovers and finds that his wife is still alive.

War of the Worlds: HG Wells

Herbert George Wells was born on 21st September 1866. He was a prolific English writer who wrote over fifty books spanning many genres and subjects. The genre he is most associated with is science fiction. HG Wells' most famous works are science fiction; The Time Machine (1895) and War of the Worlds. Wells was also a prolific nonfiction writer, writing on subjects such as science, society and politics.

In 1874 a life-changing moment occurred in Herbert's life when he broke his leg and found himself bedridden. To alleviate his boredom, Wells would read books his dad had borrowed from the library, starting a lifelong devotion to the written word. Later Wells entered a career in education, starting as a pupil teacher in Somerset. Wells specialised in teaching science, something which would influence his later writing career.

HG Wells' first published work was surprisingly not a novel but a textbook on biology in 1893. In 1895 Wells published his first novel, The Time Machine. The novel was immensely popular and in the next four years, Wells wrote a further nine science fiction books, cementing Wells' reputation as a pioneer of science fiction.

The following years saw Wells' fiction come back down to Earth; novels such as The History of Mr Polly (1910) and Tono Bungay (1909) were more autobiographical and dispensed with fantasy. In the years following the First World War Wells' concentrated less on writing fiction and dedicated himself to nonfiction. Wells would write on many subjects, particularly social commentaries and education. HG Wells died on 13th August 1946, at the age of 79.

War of the Worlds: themes

This section will look at some of the major themes within H.G. Wells' novel, including the fear of the unknown and imperialism.

Fear of the unknown

HG Wells' novel plays with the victorian audiences' fear of the unknown, vividly describing mysterious creatures from another world.

In addition to these mysterious creatures, another thing that was alien to Victorian Britain was the idea of being invaded. Britain was a superpower at the time, and the idea of invasion was as alien and terrifying to Britons as Martians arriving on Earth. War of the Worlds plays on both these fears.

The arrival of the Martians causes the narrator's surroundings to become unfamiliar to him. The stillness of London in the dusk creates 'a panic terror.' This new and unknown London makes other civilians act strangely; people are fighting in the street and robbing each other for food. While fighting for food, a group ignores a large pile of coins on the floor; this is symbolic of society no longer coveting wealth but survival.

Fig 2. - Fear of the unknown is a key theme in War of the Worlds.

It is not only London's geography and society that have become unknown, but religion too. The curate, who has dedicated his life to God, has his core values tested. The Martian's arrival gives him reason to question his religious views as he can no longer fully believe in God or their plan. The curate even questions whether the Martians are a punishment for humanity's sins. The Martians represent the unknown and their arrival makes the familiar world unfamiliar. This induces fear and panic among the people of Earth.

Imperialism

War of the Worlds is an early example of invasion literature.

These stories were popular during the period because Victorian Britain was considered a 'great' colonial power. It was the British who would normally be invading other nations and who itself had not been invaded since the 11th century.

HG Wells uses the novel to reflect on British imperialism. It was the late period of the British empire and some authors began to question its legitimacy. The Martians are very similar to British colonialists, who would invade and dominate the indigenous people in much the same way. By reversing the fortunes of colonial power, HG Wells gives his audience a chance to reflect on the ethical nature of imperialism.

War of the Worlds: characters

Here we will look at some of the characters who appear in HG Wells' science fiction novel.

The Narrator

The story's protagonist calls himself a writer of philosophical themes and has advanced knowledge of the sciences. It is he who first witnesses the flashes of light emanating from Mars and also the landing of the Martians. He is a fitting narrator because he sees the invasion from the very beginning. He is calm, rational and somewhat detached from life, so he can essentially be an avatar for the reader.

The Narrator's brother

The Narrator's brother is a medical student studying near the centre of London. He, like the rest of London, is slow to realise the danger that the Martians threaten. In his attempt to flee London he encounters two women being robbed. He successfully stops the robbery and joins the women in their escape from London. On departure, the trio sees humanity's only victory over the Martians in a sea battle with a warship.

The Curate

The Curate is a man who dedicated his life to God and is devastated by the Martian invasion. The Curate runs into the narrator in a forest and the pair decide to travel together. He is in many ways the opposite of the Narrator, who prides himself on reason and rationality. The Curate is often hysterical and his actions ill-judged. When denied food due to his overeating, the Curate despairs and purposefully tries to get the Martian's attention. This leads to his death.

The Artilleryman

The Artilleryman was a gun operator in the army until the Martians blew up his gun. After recognising the Martian threat he goes into hiding; he first encounters the Narrator by reaching his house as he flees the Martians. The pair are separated but reunited later in the novel when the Artilleryman makes plans to live in the sewer. He is vocally cutting about humanity and its will to survive, but the Narrator believes him to be lazy and fearful and his complaints to be mere bravado.

War of the Worlds: quotes

Below are some quotes for the War of the Worlds for you to revise.

Here the Narrator laments humanity's change in fortunes. Where humans were once considered the dominant species on Earth, the Martians have shown that humans are not infallible. This quote can also be seen as a reflection on British imperialism, suggesting that the days of empire are over.

In this quote, we see how London had become alien to the narrator after the Martians' arrival. The change in surroundings that were once familiar induces fear in the Narrator. A theme of the novel is fear of the unknown, and the narrator vocalises this feeling. It is not just the Martians that cause panic but the world around him changing.

Here the narrator is trying to reason with the hysterical curate. The Narrator is someone who prides himself on rationality and his counterpart, the curate, is the opposite. The quote can be seen as an argument between science and reason and faith.