Category: War of The Worlds

Introduction

This section reports the data gathered from the writing survey of the insightful works previously done on War of the Worlds from alternate points of view. The goal of this section is to set the foundation and setting for the discoveries from next parts. This part gives the scope of new thoughts and builds up a literature gap for future pursuits.

The discovery of lines and canals cut by some smart beings on Mars and the Victorian myths of War prompt the writers to pen down the confrontation of two different lives i.e human and aliens, accounting different perspectives regarding the SF genre, as the subject to bring not only technological but also ethical and religious crisis and innovations. They depict threats of War, Peace, Love, Terror, moral decadence, Scientific progress, Religious faiths etc, to human existence and world peace through respective regimes: Colonialism and Imperialism.

Fear of War and Scientific progress

Inglo Cornils in article “The Martians Are Coming! War, peace, love, and scientific progress’’ make a comparative analysis of LaBwitz’s Auf Zwei Planeten with that of H.G Wells’ The War of the Worlds to exemplify literary depiction of future wars. Cornils mentions that when a new dimension of myths of imaginary War started in Victorian England, Wells correlated War with Darwin’s theory of Evolution where the advanced side with best technology survives by pointing a parallel between monstrously ruthless Martians and Colonial Powers that had affected “inferior” races.(The war of the world 2).The novel suggests that the scientific progress may open the way to War. It maneuvers the danger and fear of technology and extrapolates the heroism e.g Artillery man suggested an underground world for survival. However, War cannot be avoidedas Wells claims that peace could be achieved after War. Though Martians are heartless and do not spare even women, children and clergy. They spread destruction throughout their way making the land favorable of their own use, but they, at least, do not discriminate between cases. The war with Martian is a struggle between good and evil. Martian’s has a keen sense of superiority and are all brain with no heart that lead to egoism, narcissisms and intolerance towards other species. Martian’s intolerance is contrasted from human’s ability to love though the depiction of relationship between narrator and his wife. As Well’s contempt for religious belief is evident as he evokes a sense of fatalistic pessimism where the belief in the confident survival is lost. So scientific progress becomes the decisive factor for Existence as well as a fear of uncertain future .Though Wells wishes a utopian society, the paranoia of war could not be escaped.

Bascillophobia

Jens Lohfert Jordensen in the article “Bascillophobia: Man and Microbes” explains the role of bacteria as the defenders of society. They are referred to “disenchantment” of the world, which is a characteristic of modernity (Max Webber). Analyzing Well’s drawing of an analogy between Human sense of considering Bacteria as lower beings and Martian considering the same about humans, highlights the Hierarchy operation in society in terms of value.

The bacteria in wells’ The War of the Worlds are depicted Powerful and destructive although these inferior creation is also the savior of human beings and, hence, the defenders of society. But the Progressive and reasoning minds now are susceptible to the thought of being superseded by lowly and humblest creation of nature. Bacteria in the novel challenges the commonsensical notions of late Victorian society that they are born to rule, cannot be defeated. So, it arises the fear of destructive, aggressive, powerful ambiguously viewed bacteria than any other danger. Warwick Globe’s illustration in the original, serialized publication of The War of the

Worlds in Pearsons’s Magzine highlights common characteristic of Martian and bacteria in which Martians appears ‘(m)nstrously microbial’ as Paul Fayter notes. This idea enhances the fact to talk about a bacteriological ‘evolution’ than ‘revolution’ in Britain because of the imposing threat of the presence of another ‘quantifiable’ creature that is dangerous for all humans including imperialistic and revolutionary reigns.

Themes of Colonialism, Terror and Humanity degradation

Syste Durkstra represents different perspectives of bacteriology, Colonialism, Technological superiority, Invasion and War, Aliens and terrorists, Darker side of humanity and Terror from space in the thesis “The War of the Worlds: post colonialism, Americanism and Terrorism in modern science fiction film”. Film adaptations as Independence Day (1996) and Steven Spielberg’s War of the worlds (2005) expand the fear of terrorism, invasion, 9/11 imagery. Both depicts aliens as hostile invaders and heightened threats to American culture. The people of London in Well’s novel considers aliens as inferior, being Other, at the beginning.

Sense of self-assuredness and confidence of power is evoked by considering lives on Mars as the Other who may be “Creeping’, and “Crawling” and thus, are opposite to the self- image of ever-busy, fast moving inhabitant of London, Capital of Word’s Largest empire. They take advantage of their technological superiority and consider human as low creature. Image of superior race in the novel emphasizes dethronement of human power. Social Darwinism, Imperialism and colonization invoke Victorian fear of evolutionary degeneration of mankind.

The artilleryman is an embodiment of Social Darwinism which favors the strong to survive while wishes the weak to exclude. The artillery man is ready to surrender at the nearly end of the novel, when humanity seems utterly defeated. The artilleryman, not unlike curate, is quick to accept the downfall of humanity. The depiction of alien landscape of ‘’Red weed’’ in the novel brings the devastating effects of invasion back to colonial power. Earth and humanity seems to be doomed, ultimately, it is not mankind or the Colonial power but bacteria that defeats the Martians.

The adaptation War of the Worlds, based on H.G Wells’ novel, released in 2005 shows humanity as a much darker side. The dark characterization is depicted through the use of 9/11 imagery and depiction of Martians as a Terrorists. The period of horror from alien picturizes distrust and disillusionment in the characters. The characters portrays the demerits of being Villainous ranging from helplessness to moral depravity. While in Well’s novel the aliens are represented parallel to an imperialistic and colonial opponent with superior technology and an evolutionary advantage.. Their goal is to colonize Earth displacing Humanity in the process. Novel acts as a source of comparison to that of 9/11 imagery.

Conflicts of Science and Religion

Douglas Cowan, in a Journal of Religion and Film, writes an article “Intellects Vast and cool and unsympathetic: Science, Religion, and The War of the Worlds- Part I” which aims to delineate the dramatically difference of first cinematic version of The War of the Worlds from Wells’ original version.

H.G Wells’ novel there is a conflict between science and religion that is illustrated through deposition of characters in worse situation during Invasion. The narrator seeks help from Religion when he faces the extreme panic and preclude exemption from aliens. He presents fox-hole prayers when he hides himself with a curate in a ruined house from the horrible aliens. While the religious belief of, irrational and eventually insane, curate collapses under the calamity. The curate thins Martians are the messengers of God who has come with a bringing of the Almighty’s judgment on sinful and recalcitrant and insubordinate humanity.

In George Pal’s The War of the World (1953), unlike H.G Wells’ novel, the titles doctor of divinity and doctor of science ae held equal. Though the gap between both widens as the movie proceeds but no one is given privileged over the other. In fact, there is a peaceful resolution of conflicts. Pastor Collins, is introduced pre-eminently, focusses on the occupants of the Martians’ craft emitting Heat Rays. While Dr. Clayton Forrestor, highly educated man who is interested in Pastor’s niece, sees only their technology. The division is enhanced when scientists yield to military options (the use of force). On the other hand pastor Collins reason with marine commander Colonel, ‘’But, Colonel, shooting’s no good’’. ’’Shouldn’t you try to communicate with him first?’’ Pal’s curate remains unharmed from mental chaotic trauma of unable to differentiate between new innovative technology and Religion. The film also reveals a number of cultural fears after Second World War. The Martians’ destruction of humanity can be related to Nazi extermination of Jews.

Victorian Moralism

Denis Gailor’s article,“ ‘Wells’ War of the Wolds’, the ‘Invasion story’ and Victorian moralism” describes that afterwards the Franco-Prussian War, the genre of invasion story raised with the fear of next probable attack and the existence of foreign enemies Within England. It does not only stir the threat of safety but interprets it to moral decadence suggesting the link of future Wars as less significant than the connection between invasion and moral decline. The plot structure like setting of England with London centrality and Martian’s “unfair advantage”(The Battle of Dorking) confirms novel as invasion story. The stance of Martian invasion is not wrong as England had previously colonized the powerless by utilizing its imperial power over the races and the human race has exterminated the bison and dodo. Martian invasion is the justification of imperialistic England’s moral decadence from God. Likewise, the curate belief of Martians as “God ministers” suggests the relationship between fear, immortality, punishment and eventual death. The bacteria, from whom Martian’s has no immunity, symbolizes corruption and evil of Victorian human beings who are worthy of punishment due to moral decadence. The role of Martian as a moral chastiser signifies their positive approach to restore morality, yet the fall of their cylinder in a pit highlights them impure as well. The paradoxical psyche of wells is presented through these ambivalent descriptions and abstract relationship of fear, curiosity and punishment. The female-like physical appearance of Martians like V-shaped mouth, dark coloured eyes and Gorgon like tentacles implies attractiveness towards them yet the must look unattractive due to their destructive attitude. While, in contrast to Martians and curate, narrator’s wife is a real “feminine” figure representing anxiety and provoke the destruction of man.

The War of the Worlds as a Radio Adaptation

The War of the worlds was, performed in the Mercury theatre on Air in October 30, 1938, presented as a series of news bulletin with a 60 minutes broadcast. The series was directed and narrated by Orson Welles. It is after the intermission and at the end that an announcer mentioned the show was fiction. Some listeners who heard only a portion of broadcast considered Alien

Invasion as a reality. Studio described Martian as an invading army. This created panic in the masses. The news grows more frequent and ominous. A news reporter described people running ‘’like rats’’ and ‘’falling like flies’’. Then he himself succumbed to poisonous gas. People become frightened and considered a new disaster is to come after world War 2. Some panicked people presumed that Germans, not Martians, had invaded. In the aftermath, man listeners sued the network for ‘’mental anguish’’. Many old time American radio station re-aired the program as Halloween tradition. The program is recognized again in 1968 (modernized version of 1938), 1971,1973 ( identical to the broadcast of 1971) and 1975.

The purpose to mention this radio adaptation is to imagine the panic, anxiety and fear, personal injury and mental anguish as the ultimate consequences of fantasized Invasion if it will examine real. The discovery that lines on the surface of mars are not natural but cut by dyingcivilization fuels the abundant terror and fear of the existence of Other intelligent, superior, advanced and destructive creature in the novel.

As much of the work has done on different perspectives of the novel as mentioned above with a common, implicit, abstract of the Victorian anxieties that underlie H.G Well’s masterpiece have never gone away. Though the period had seen Industrial Revolution, technological modernity yet the uncanny continuity prevailed. Martian’s Threats to life, fear of War, degeneration of moral codes in the guise of personal security, the feelings of well’s curate towards outsiders and their advanced technology and consequent mental retardaton, public feelings of inability of communication with the disastrous creatures, and the role played by nature’s humblest creature are the products of uncanny invasion of the Martians in the novel. These factors can significantly be investigated in the context of Sigmund Freud’s”Uncanny” under two basic subdivisions of:

• Threat of creatures from unusual(other) world and from Natural(self) world
• Threat of destruction, loss ( castration)

The Martians and bacteria is considered the ‘’double’’ of each other and the protagonist and curate are ‘’double of one another in the sense that one substitute the other in the novel. As Freud defines doubling as ” dividing and interchanging the self”. The uncanny effect of curate can be analyzed in relation to its castration complex. The Martian’s attack is quite uncanny and difficult to discernible by normal human beings or average minds as it is an higher octane idea that may cause destruction and physical as well as emotional castration. Just like Unheimlich is the opposite of Heimlich, double o each other. This study highlights the devices that come to the surface, ought to be hidden, and arises the morbid anxiety in the characters as well as readers.

The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel by English author Herbert George Wells and published in 1897 and Prester John is an adventure novel written by John Buchan in 1910. H. G. Wells was an English writer. He was prolific in many genres, writing dozens of novels, short stories, and many others. John Buchan is a Scottish novelist who began his political and diplomatic careers in southern Africa which made him start writing career. He often wrote various adventure fictions. John Buchan often wrote about southern Africa as a back ground. They both are very well-known writers. H. G. Wells was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921, 1932, 1935, and 1946. Wells so influenced real exploration of Mars that an impact crater on the planet was named after him. Unlike H. G. Wells, John Buchan is not as influenced literacy with impact, but he was a novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada. Buchan simultaneously began his writing career and hist political and diplomatic careers. He was a splendid man of unlimited resource and great intellectual capacity. These two prominent authors of The War of the Worlds and Prester John have distinguishable styles.

Firstly, their genre, setting, style and theme are very different. As previously stated, these two books genres are very different. One is science fiction genre and other is adventure genre. In the War of the World, mostly, it talks about Martians destroying the earth and the main characters surviving from the abyss. In the Prester John, main character is exploring southern Africa and about adventure that is happening while he is staying in Africa. Setting is also different. In the War of the World, it is around in 1900 and held on London. In the Prester John, it is held in around in mid twentieth century and held on Southern Africa. Because of these genre and setting are different, it makes the style of books different. In the War of the World, science fiction genre makes the style of the book more appalling. The main character of this book is surrounded by unbeatable Martians and crazy people that make the life of the main character miserable. Everything seems hopeless in this book. However, in the Prester John, it is not as severely bad as the War of the World. The main character in the Prester John also in a very poor condition, but there were always ways to get out. It shows hopes unlike the War of the World. Themes of these two books are differ from each other. In the War of the World, the main theme is to show the what is going to happen if other creatures from outside of the earth invade. It shows disasters that happened by monstrous creatures. However, it tells readers that there is going to be some sort of hope to go against these creatures. In the Prester John, the main theme is to talk about what is going on in southern Africa that the author actually experienced. These four components; genre, setting, style and theme are crucial that made authors famous.

Secondly, their representation of social class is different. A social class is a set of subjectively defined concepts in the social sciences and political theory centered on models of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories. In the War of the World, social class is not actually stated, but readers can anticipate that social class exist. Martians which has the most power is controlling the world. People have to live what Martians intended to. Human beings who have the power which is the Army are on the top of the social class besides Martians. Below that males and people who have weapons are existed and the rest of the human beings are on the bottom of social class. However, in the Prester John, social class does exist. Main character or white men are in the top of the social class. They have the actual control over the resources or humans. Others are in the bottom of the social class but among them, they have their own social class. A leader and fighters. For example, Laputa, the leader of the tribes, has the most power among their people and his followers do whatever Laputa tells them to do. Because both are in special condition, the War of the World and the Prester John have the social classes. If the War of the World has the different genre, and the Prester John is held on somewhere else, there might not be any social class.

Thirdly, their relationship to Darwinism is different. Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin. It means all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual’s ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. Unlike the Prester John, the War of the World is clearly stated the Darwinism. When the main character of the War of the World met the artillery man, the artillery man wants to accept only people who are in good condition. He is going to build a utopia for perfect human beings. This dream did not work out in the book but it surely mentioned about Darwinism that author actually believed in. The main character knew about the artillery man’s dream is lunatic which made the main character leave him behind. Unlike the War of the World, the Prester John does not state Darwinism at all. The Prester John is closer to Imperialism which is a state government, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. It is based on imperialism because of the historical era of that time. White men are ruling over the southern Africa and Africans are fighting against white men’s reign. Not only white men but also Africans also have imperialism. Leaders tell their people what to do. For example, Laputa is the leader of the tribes and tell people to fight against white men. They protest and do riots against the power. Because of these two, the War of the World and the Prester John are very different.

Finally, their treatment of the theme of science and belief, and civilization and barbarism are different. In the War of the World, it is more toward to science and belief. The genre itself is science fiction and talks about mostly something that does not exist in the real life. Everything is based on author’s imagination that might happen in future or that never happen. The belief that the War of the World has is the Darwinism. As it previously mentioned, H. G. Well believed in Darwinism. Well’s earliest specialized training was in biology which made him more believed in Darwinian context. Because of his belief, the War of the World and many other science fiction novels brought full impact of Darwin’s revolutionary botanical ideas to a wider public. This explained why H. G. Wells put the artillery man to notify what Darwinism is. The artillery man is a character that has same belief that the author has. Unlike the War of the World, civilization and barbarism exist in the Prester John. Civilization which express white men who staying in southern Africa and barbarism which express Africans who are fighting against the civilization are crucial in this book. Africans are going against the white men and fight for their freedom and their lands. It happens in real life too. Author wrote this book based on his experience in Africa. People cannot decide which is good. Civilization can be good or bad and barbarism also can be good or bad. The War of the World and the Prester John have the treatment of the theme that it actually believed in or what it has seen throughout their life.

In conclusion, the War of the World and the Prester John are very different but somewhat similar. The War of the World mostly talks about something that never happened in real life and the Prester John talks about something that actually happened and people are suffering from. Genre, setting, style and themes made these two books very different, but readers who read these books know that these are magnitudinous books. What H. G. Wells and John Buchan want to talk about is different subjects but both clearly stated what they want to say in their books which makes these two books very similar. Readers find out more about these books which socially impacted and impacting nowadays too. Because of these two authors, these two books crucially are concerned in English popular culture.

The context of a novel means the circumstances in which it was written – the social, historical, intellectual and literary factors that influenced what the author wrote. All literature is influenced by the life experiences that the author has gone through and these are shaped by the world in which the author lived in. Therefore, in order to truly understand the themes, ideas and messages H.G. Wells portrayed through The War of the Worlds, it is vital to have some knowledge of the historical and social context which Wells’ lived in.

Herbet George Wells was born on 21 September 1866, in Bromley, Kent, a small town on the outskirts of London. When he was aged thirteen, his family broke up due to financial hardship. After failed jobs and apprenticeships, Wells began a degree course at the Normal School of Science thanks to a government scholarship. Wells was taught biology and zoology by T.H. Huxley; one of the leading thinkers during that time, as well as a friend and devotee of Charles Darwin. Wells was heavily influenced by T.H. Huxley and challenged by Huxley’s ideas and teachings.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the nations within Europe were separated into strategic alliances that pitted them against each other. These alliances and military associations consequented in a greater military buildup than the world had ever known before. The ideologies of nationalism and imperialism were conspicuous within nations and alliances. Consequently, political tension accumulated rapidly. This trend created a dangerous political situation and resulted in the largest and bloodiest confrontation that had ever happened up to that time, the First World War.

Additionally, a real and prominent fear developed towards the end of the nineteenth century suggesting that the turn of the century would be the ‘end of the age’ and an apocalypse would occur. During this time, the British Empire was the most dominant colonial power on earth. London was its political centre, making it a natural starting point for an imagined alien invasion. Finally, the pronounced existence of nationalism and imperialism during this time ensued a common fear of mass immigration due to colonialism.

With the aggregation of H.G. Wells’ influential experiences and figures such as T.H Huxley and Charles Darwin, along with the historical and social context of H.G. Wells’ world in the late nineteenth century, the themes and messages which are explored and exhibited through The War of the Worlds will be coherent and comprehensible.

Important themes explored within the novel

Different attitudes on various components of English society were explored and stitched into the famous plot of The War of the Worlds. During H.G. Wells’ time, new discoveries in evolution, British imperialism, anxieties of reverse colonization, and other moral ideologies were governing society.

To begin with, arguably the most important scientific publication within the nineteenth century was Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859). Darwin proposes and forecasts a model of the world in which organisms evolve into greater and more complex organisms over a prolonged period of time. In the chapter entitled Struggle for Existence, Darwin proclaims:

“The action of climate seems at first sight to be quite independent of the struggle for existence; but in so far as climate chiefly acts in reducing food, it brings on the most severe struggle between the individuals, whether of the same or distinct species, which subsist on the same kind of food.” (Darwin, 1859)

It is evident that ideas such as this have shaped Wells’ writing of The War of the Worlds. Regarding the main action of the Martian invasion, Wells writes “That last stage of exhaustion, which to us is still incredibly remote, has become a present-day problem for their inhabitants of Mars” (Book 1, Ch. 1, p.8). Mars is depicted as a dying planet and in “the immediate pressure of necessity” (Book 1, Ch. 1, p.8), the Martians launch their invasion upon the vibrant planet Earth in an effort to survive. H.G. Wells predicted that humankind will run out of resources and struggle violently over the limited resources. Furthermore, Wells prognosticate that humankind will search for resources from other planets, such as Mars.

Wells incorporates these ideas through quotes such as: “And looking across space with instruments and intelligences such as we have scarcely dreamed of, they see, as its nearest distance only 35,000,000 pf miles sunward of them, a morning star of hope, our warmer planet, green with vegetation and grey with water, with a cloudy atmosphere eloquent of fertility…” (Book 1, Ch. 1, p.8)

“Their undeniable preference for men as their source of nourishment is partly explained by the nature of the remains of the victims they had brought with them as provisions from Mars.” (Book 2,Ch. 2, p.126)

In a subtle fashion, Darwin’s vision of a universe in which individuals and species struggle violently over limited resources, is played out through the subplot between the curate and the narrator within the house of Sheen.

“Then he would suddenly revert to the matter of food I withheld from him, praying, begging, weeping, at last threatening.” (Book 2, Ch. 4, p.137)

Moreover, Darwin’s findings suggest a future model of the world with the predominant principle of Social Darwinism, or ‘the survival of the fittest’. Social Darwinism implies a vision of an uncaring universe in which the strong dominate and destroy the weak with no intervention from God. The War of the Worlds challenges social darwinism by suggesting that all humanity, regardless of strength or social class, suffers collectively under the rule of the Martians. It compels readers to revise their view of humanity’s place in the universe: no longer on top, but as one species that may very well be inferior to another. In the developing stages of the plot, people gather around the pit, representing all social classes. The Martian invasion is thus seen as a great leveler: no individual can avoid the catastrophe by virtue of social class, education, or wealth. Congruently, the Artilleryman advocates that following the Martian invasion only the strong like him will survive, yet he shows himself unable to actually carry out any of his grandiose plans. The Narrator’s logic and perseverance proves far more useful in facing the atrocities.

Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and theory of living creatures evolving into more complex forms over immense periods of time created great philosophical, intellectual and emotional turmoil during the time of its publication in 1859. The core reason for this is because Darwin’s theory challenged the fundamental beliefs of the vast Christian society. The War of the Worlds surfaced Darwin’s theory and raised these points to many readers and the society in which the novel was published. In the world of the novel, Wells incorporates Darwin’s theory of evolution, as the Martians are superior to the human race because their planet is much older and thus, they have been evolving for much longer. On the other hand, the idea of God is also displayed through quotes such as: “For a moment I believed that the destruction of Sennacherib had been repeated, that God had repented, that the Angel of Death had slain them in the night.” (Book 2, Ch. 9, p. 169) The biblical reference suggests that God has relented and decided to spare humanity from total destruction. Wells presents the role of God as a supreme being who wants to teach the human race a lesson. “Martians – dead! … slain, after all man’s devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this earth.” (Book 2, Ch. 8, p. 168) The War of the World artistically portrayed and significantly contributed in surfacing Social Darwinism and Darwin’s theory to the western society in the 19th and 20th century.

As H.G. Wells makes conspicuous in the opening chapter, “man” is arrogant and vicious, the example given being the behaviour of British colonists in Tasmania earlier in the century. Accordingly, it can be interpreted that when Wells refers to “man” within this opening chapter, he is more specifically referring to the British Empire. At the time of the novel’s publication the British Empire had conquered and colonised dozens of territories in Africa, Australia, North and South America, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and the Atlantic and Pacific islands.

British Empire in the 19th Century

A significant force behind the success of the British Empire was its use of sophisticated technology and advanced inventions which were developed throughout the industrial revolution; the Martians, also attempting to establish an empire on Earth, have technology superior to their British adversaries. In The War of the Worlds, Wells depicted an imperial power as the victim of imperial aggression, perhaps encouraging the reader to consider imperialism itself.

“Before we judge of them [the Martians] too harshly, we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?” Chapter 1, The War of the Worlds, pp 4.

The Martians represent the detrimental aspects of imperialism. We are told that as their planet, Mars, is imperiling to terminate supporting life, they discover the Earth and launch an invasion to take over it using physical force and weaponry rather than considering peaceful cohabitation. It is not evident whether the Martians view mankind as having any intelligence, thought or feeling. This reflects HG Wells’ views that during a period of great colonial expansion, native populations were treated unacceptably and their needs, views and rights were ignored.

The Martians are portrayed as highly technologically advanced compared to Man. They also seem incapable of emotions and feelings such as guilt, remorse, or empathy. This reflects HG Wells’ concerns that with scientific development comes great power and a tendency to play ‘God’. In war, common human decency is often cast aside for ruthless pursuit of victory. The Martians are therefore presented as killing machines, but they have also evolved to work extremely efficiently as living organisms. For example, they no longer have complex digestive or reproductive systems. “And this was the sum of the Martian organs. Strange as it may seem to a human being, all the complex apparatus of digestion, which makes up the bulk of our bodies, did not exist in the Martians. They were heads—merely heads. Entrails they had none. They did not eat, much less digest. Instead, they took the fresh, living blood of other creatures, and injected it into their own veins. . . The physiological advantages of the practice of injection are undeniable, if one thinks of the tremendous waste of human time and energy occasioned by eating and the digestive process. Our bodies are half made up of glands and tubes and organs, occupied in turning heterogeneous food into blood. The digestive processes and their reaction upon the nervous system sap our strength and colour our minds… But the Martians were lifted above all these organic fluctuations of mood and emotion.” (Book 2, Ch. 2, p. 125)

Conclusively, whilst the themes which are delineated in The War of the Worlds are still pertinent to this day, understanding the historical and social context which H.G. Wells’ lived in provides a glimpse into a new perspective from the past; the struggles, ideologies, conjecture and thinking of H.G. Wells and the world of the late nineteenth century is eye-opening to the modern reader.

Plot

H.G. Wells’ projection and way of exploring salient themes and messages through the events and morals which are raised throughout the story is exceptional. Despite this, I believe that albeit the plot of The War of the Worlds is thought-provoking, it lacks dramatic elements, suspense, and climactic action. For example, although it was meaningful that microbes killed the martians, I found the “deus ex machina” anticlimactic and a mere lacklustre ending. The story would be a lot more intriguing if the protagonist had contributed to the fall of the Martians in some way. Spanish Conquistadors landed on the shores of the New World. They didn’t win against the Aztec and Inca Empires so much because of the superiority of their weapons, religion or culture, but because they were bringing the smallpox virus along with them — first major and unwitting case of biological warfare. In similar fashion, if The War of the Worlds concluded with an ending such as the protagonist infecting himself with bacteria and sacrificing himself to cause the death of the Martians, there would be much more dramatic elements and heightened action, ultimately providing greater entertainment and enjoyment for readers whilst maintaining the message regarding the power of nature. Nevertheless, it is understood that in order to strongly deliver purposeful themes and meaning such as the ones portrayed in The War of the Worlds, the entertainment and typical fictitious elements were neglected.

Character

The protagonist of The War of the Worlds is an unnamed man in Woking, faced with the immediate danger from the Martians. In traditional fiction such as myths and legends, the protagonist holds some values, morality and ability. The protagonist is often a “hero”. However, in The War of the Worlds, the protagonist does not play an important role in the storyline and helplessly observes the Martians invade the Earth. Although the protagonist is a relatable perspective for the reader, I believe that if The War of the Worlds concluded with an ending along the lines of the protagonist infecting himself with bacteria and sacrificing himself to cause the death of the Martians, the climax and emotional element of the story would have been heightened and greater sense of intriguement would have been created. Furthermore, questions regarding sacrifice, moral values and ethics would have been raised in the minds of readers as the protagonist is forced to make significant decisions to alter the storyline. This additional climactic action would have maintained the theme and message of the importance and power of nature as it is nature that kills the Martians in the end. Despite this, possibly one of the messages with most value and necessity in this day and age, is the fact that the human race needs to work with nature to progress towards a more sustainable environment. The War of the Worlds lets nature take over and defeat the Martians with no input from humankind. The symbolism of the protagonist working with nature to overcome the challenge of Martians would have been a lot more inspiring for readers, especially the modern readers of today.