•The serialized novel, The War of the Worlds, written by Wells, will be remembered as the
spark that inspire d almost all Sci-Fi.
•An attack on the suburban home counties was a choice that truly hit home to a Victorian
reader.
•If we plunge into the depths of this story, we see complex commentaries hidden under the
utter destruction of the Martians – who aren’t too different from humans themselves.
• Imperialism: The British Empire, at the time, was at its’ peak. One of Wells’ key warnings is
that of complacency. Humanity, and specially Britain’s, could lead to its’ downfall. We should not
be self-indulged and be wary of the world around us. Threats of other European powers
invading also sparked warnings in The War of the Worlds.
• Evolution and Darwinism: Darwin’s controversial ideas had been published recently; Wells
showed his avid support of this theory through his work. With humanity being faced with such a
daunting challenge, they would need to evolve and find new ways of surviving. We, the readers,
can also see evolutionary challenges faced by the Martians, a highly evolved creature, when it
comes to bacteria.
• Technology: Post-industrial revolution, Victorians would be getting to grasp with new ideas. In
Wells’ book, there is in overarching message of the benefit humanity can get through the
power of technology, however, there are also serious issues that could flare up. Throughout
this serialized novel, we are reminded of the effect technology has on animals, nature and on
each other.
• Victorian Society: Victorian society is one of patriarchy, religion and many other traditional
values. With the invasion of the Martians, we see old ideas, such as “pugilistic chivalry” and
religion, break down. We see society crumble at the face of the Martians; women were left
alone, people lost their honour and became thieves, power and authority no longer meant
anything.
, Appearance of the Martians
•The Martians are presented as some grotesque, hideous beasts, that upset the eyes of
everyone. We are consistently reminded of the oddness of these evolved creatures, stemming
from their weird noises of “Ulla Ulla” to their octopus-shaped body.
• Even though these strange beings are presented as grotesque and revolting, they are
conveyed as evolutionary superior – the narrator even implies we might end up as them.
Evolution and Survival
•As Martians become the apex predator humanity are forced to revise their place in the
universe – they are no longer at the top. The Martians are more evolved, smarter and
stronger than any of the humans.
•We are presented with a powerful brain-creature which is highly evolved, but is destroyed by
something lowly as bacteria, since the Martians aren’t meant for this world. They have not
evolved in accordance with Earth’s environment hence they die to the hands of nature.
•Wells demystifies Darwin’s ideas about evolution, demonstrating that natural selection is a
very simple matter of adapting – or failing to adapt to an environment.
Human complacency and ignorance
•Human beings are shown to be a self-indulged and arrogant life form within Wells’ novel. They
are conveyed to have little knowledge or idea about science and life outside their own bubble.
•Humanity’s complacency is presented to be their downfall; this is a commentary on Wells’ own
beliefs on humanity’s selfish action. He warns us not to be too complacent about our own
security.
spark that inspire d almost all Sci-Fi.
•An attack on the suburban home counties was a choice that truly hit home to a Victorian
reader.
•If we plunge into the depths of this story, we see complex commentaries hidden under the
utter destruction of the Martians – who aren’t too different from humans themselves.
• Imperialism: The British Empire, at the time, was at its’ peak. One of Wells’ key warnings is
that of complacency. Humanity, and specially Britain’s, could lead to its’ downfall. We should not
be self-indulged and be wary of the world around us. Threats of other European powers
invading also sparked warnings in The War of the Worlds.
• Evolution and Darwinism: Darwin’s controversial ideas had been published recently; Wells
showed his avid support of this theory through his work. With humanity being faced with such a
daunting challenge, they would need to evolve and find new ways of surviving. We, the readers,
can also see evolutionary challenges faced by the Martians, a highly evolved creature, when it
comes to bacteria.
• Technology: Post-industrial revolution, Victorians would be getting to grasp with new ideas. In
Wells’ book, there is in overarching message of the benefit humanity can get through the
power of technology, however, there are also serious issues that could flare up. Throughout
this serialized novel, we are reminded of the effect technology has on animals, nature and on
each other.
• Victorian Society: Victorian society is one of patriarchy, religion and many other traditional
values. With the invasion of the Martians, we see old ideas, such as “pugilistic chivalry” and
religion, break down. We see society crumble at the face of the Martians; women were left
alone, people lost their honour and became thieves, power and authority no longer meant
anything.
, Appearance of the Martians
•The Martians are presented as some grotesque, hideous beasts, that upset the eyes of
everyone. We are consistently reminded of the oddness of these evolved creatures, stemming
from their weird noises of “Ulla Ulla” to their octopus-shaped body.
• Even though these strange beings are presented as grotesque and revolting, they are
conveyed as evolutionary superior – the narrator even implies we might end up as them.
Evolution and Survival
•As Martians become the apex predator humanity are forced to revise their place in the
universe – they are no longer at the top. The Martians are more evolved, smarter and
stronger than any of the humans.
•We are presented with a powerful brain-creature which is highly evolved, but is destroyed by
something lowly as bacteria, since the Martians aren’t meant for this world. They have not
evolved in accordance with Earth’s environment hence they die to the hands of nature.
•Wells demystifies Darwin’s ideas about evolution, demonstrating that natural selection is a
very simple matter of adapting – or failing to adapt to an environment.
Human complacency and ignorance
•Human beings are shown to be a self-indulged and arrogant life form within Wells’ novel. They
are conveyed to have little knowledge or idea about science and life outside their own bubble.
•Humanity’s complacency is presented to be their downfall; this is a commentary on Wells’ own
beliefs on humanity’s selfish action. He warns us not to be too complacent about our own
security.
