by Greg Bernard

Created on: April 15, 2008

"The Invisible Man" is one of Wells' many exploratory novels. It explores the idea of invisibility, its benefits, and its little-thought-of detriments. It is about a scientist who discovers that changing one's refractive index to that of air makes one invisible. Here I will explore some aspects of the story.

Elements of the Novel

The Main Character

The Invisible Man is the main character. He really has no physical appearance. Before he became ethereal, he was an albino, and his lack of pigment helped to turn him invisible more easily. Perhaps due to his lack of sleep; he is prone to madness and outbursts of anger. He wears an elaborate suit and has covered his face in bandages to make himself appear visible. He regrets his transformation and strives endlessly to become visible again.

He is an expert physicist who had always dreamed of the opportunities one would have in being invisible. He developed a solution that turned the red of his blood white to make himself invisible. (It worked by having nothing for light to reflect off of). The novelty of being invisible quickly wore off as everyone was frightened of him. He was covered in bruises from people bumping into him as he went around town, further contributing to his irascibility.

It is hard to tell how much he changes before and after he had turned invisible. It seems, however, that he would have to be a bit of a "Mad Scientist" to engage in experiments such as those he did; similar to the energy that drove Dr. Frankenstein. His responses to some of his predicaments are interesting. He tries to take advantage of his invisibility early on, but is harried by the fact that he would have been better off not being invisible at all. At the end of the book he finally snaps and decides to establish a "reign of terror" on a small town. This is slightly believable considering what he's been through, and his disposition.

Settings

The settings of the book are typically small towns in England. There is no one setting. It starts in the village of Iping, and slowly moves to other various towns. Most of the action happens whenever the invisible man makes himself visible by wearing clothes. Since smaller towns are less populated than large towns, they give you the idea that Griffin can do whatever he wants.

All of the settings were fairly effective. One thing that makes them believable is how people react to the invisible man. It is likely that someone who had become invisible would flee to small towns where he could more easily

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