the invisible man book essay

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Essay

Introduction, plot summary, themes and characters.

Bibliography

In Ralph Ellison’s novel The Invisible Man , the protagonist narrates in the first person about his invisibility. He, as he refers to himself without considering his person a subject while being a real person, is made «of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids». 1 He describes how people around are looking through him. The problem is not with their physical eyes, meaning it is not something that does not allow them to perceive physically. Only a few pages later, readers randomly find out that the narrator is spoken as of being black. The rest who look through him are characterized as white. In this way, the unexpected flow of expressively violent scenes pours light on an exceptionally sophisticated form of racist unification against which the protagonist will act. It is not a fact of physical absence but the social non-existence of an individual. To the question about his invisibility, the narrator replies that the nature of the vision of those who look through him has to be held responsible for this.

This is not a flaw in their physical vision and actual inability to perceive, but it is an internal prejudice that does not allow them to understand it the right way. The duality of the conflict between the main character and the world surrounding him is gradually unfolded with every step of the development of the book. Thus, with the sharp and aggressive sentences of the first-person narration, this prologue opens the story. The script is characterized by several particularly sophisticated forms of discrimination and humiliation against which the protagonist will fight throughout the novel. It takes a form of invisibility, namely, the suppression of the personality, which, obviously, deals not with physical absence, but with non-existence in a social sense. The demonstration of the latter explains why this story has such an importance for American and world culture.

The story begins with the narrator’s reminiscence about his past life. He tells readers how he dreamed of becoming a renowned educator and orator. However, readers are quickly shown how the system is going to treat the narrator’s dreams as the humiliating procedure of receiving a scholarship to a specially designated state college is described in detail. The narrator then experiences a plethora of situations where he is disregarded, disrespected, and mistreated because of the color of his skin. He gets expelled from the college and goes North, where he eventually finds out that what he considered exceptional freedom turns out to be the same he saw in the South.

The author goes as far as putting the narrator through experiencing the consequences of explosion and being subjected to medical experiments by White doctors. This is acknowledged when the narrator gives an introspection of his life as being “based upon the fallacious assumption that I, like other men, was visible”, referring to his past worldview. 2 Further life makes the narrator more and more disenfranchised and disillusioned about the social situation of his race.

However, despite the numerous misfortunes of his life, including being chased into a manhole by a furious mob, the narrator finds a way to ease his hatred and emotional pain. To do so, he uses writing, and as he entrusts paper with the story of his path, he feels that life is still worthy of living. Thus, the man rediscovers the fact that he loves living no matter what. The latter is an example of an excellent new way of perceiving life that is not based on superficial ideas of others, judgment, and prejudice.

The theme of racial injustice is the most vividly expressed theme of the entire book. The author shows how deeply it has rooted in the fabric of society. The perceived social invisibility of the protagonist is representative of the racial practices imposed on the African American community that are described by the author in his novel. 3 The writer pictures the situation brightly and with striking accuracy because he was a witness of it during his lifetime. While it is obvious that social traditions such as segregation, discrimination, and similar are racist and, thus, absolutely unacceptable, the more important theme of the novel is not the description of the racial situation in the United States.

The topic of greater importance for the readers of all times and nations is the theme of one man’s journey to discovering self-identity. The main character serves the purpose of expressing that idea explicitly. In relation to this, the scene of the expulsion of the narrator from college has great importance as it functions as one of the most powerful triggers that move the character to step on a path of realization, which stems from the inability to understand southern mores. 4 The return of the narrator from the White culture to the cultural roots of his folk represents the evolution of his conscientiousness. This is the act of self-liberation of his true identity from the oppressive influence of the dominant racial discourse. As the character sets him free, Ellison here pushes the theme of Black identity in American literature, which strongly influenced future writers in their attempts to resolve this issue. 5

In my opinion, Ellison’s warning to readers about the necessity of moderation, as it is depicted in the scenes of unrest in Harlem, was the most important idea. Despite the injustices, it is always crucial to stay away from violence or resentment and dedicate the efforts to something more productive. The latter I consider to be the second most valuable thought I derived from reading this book as it can be given to a person of any generation. If the piece of literature is capable of being useful through time, then it can be concluded that it is truly an art and is worthy of being a part of humanity’s cultural heritage.

The Invisible Man is one of the most powerful writings on the topics of racial justice ever written by any American writer. Its value is even greater as it provides readers with a valuable lesson on discovering one’s true identity and setting oneself free of the influence of the dominant culture. This idea is essential for modern culture as more and more people suffer from being unable to discover their true selves. Finding and establishing a meaningful connection with the cultural heritage of one’s people is presented by the author to be one of the ways to do so.

Banks, Joy. 2018. “ Invisible Man : Examining the Intersectionality of Disability, Race, and Gender in an Urban Community.” Disability & Society 33, no. 6 (2018): 894-908. doi:10.1080/09687599.2018.1456912.

Ellison, Ralph, and John Callahan. Invisible Man . London: Penguin UK, 2016.

King, Lovalerie, and Linda F Selzer. New Essays on the African American Novel . New York: Springer, 2016.

Wang, Gaixia. “On The Construction of Self Identity in Invisible Man “. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research 87 (2017): 656-660. doi:10.2991/icemeet-16.2017.139.

• Ralph Ellison and John Callahan, Invisible Man , (Penguin UK, 2016), 1.
• Ralph Ellison and John Callahan, Invisible Man , (Penguin UK, 2016), 3.
• Joy Banks, “Invisible Man: Examining the Intersectionality of Disability, Race, and Gender in an Urban Community,” Disability & Society 33, no. 6 (2018): 895.
• Lovalerie King and Linda F Selzer, New Essays on the African American Novel , (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), 171.
• Gaixia Wang, “On the Construction of Self Identity in Invisible Man,” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research 87 (2017): 659.
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IvyPanda. (2020, July 6). Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. https://ivypanda.com/essays/invisible-man-by-ralph-ellison/

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IvyPanda . "Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison." July 6, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/invisible-man-by-ralph-ellison/.

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The Invisible Man

By h.g. wells.

'The Invisible Man' by H.G. Wells is a classic science fiction novel of the 19th century. It was published in 1897 and tells a unique story about a murderous man who turned himself invisible. 

About the Book

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

The novel is quite short and is usually categorized as a novella (one of several that Wells wrote throughout his life). Today, Griffin, better known as “the Invisible Man,” is an iconic character who has appeared in movies and television shows. But, despite his more favorable depiction in some of these adaptions, in Wells’ original novel, he is far from likable. From the beginning of the book, it becomes clear that he has no regard for anyone else and is solely focused on advancing his own experiments and carrying out his murderous “Reign of Terror.”

Spoiler Free Summary 

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells is a clever, short novella that describes the exploits of the “Invisible Man.” The man, whose real name is Griffin, turns up at an inn at the beginning of the book. A deep mystery surrounds his identity and intentions. But, it soon becomes clear that through his experimentations, he’s managed to turn himself invisible and is planning a “Reign of Terror” across the country. The small town residents recognize the danger he poses and do what they can to apprehend him.

The Invisible Man Summary 

Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below.

The Invisible Man begins with the main character Griffin (later the Invisible Man), arriving at a local inn in the village of Iping in West Sussex, England. The man arrives in a snowstorm and is entirely covered by clothing. That is, except for his face, which is wrapped up in bandages. It’s clear that he has a prosthetic nose as well.

To match his eccentric appearance, Griffin has an unusual personality. He is reclusive and very unfriendly. This is something that does not sit well with the locals who, living in a small town, are used to knowing and getting along with everyone. The man wants to be left alone and spends almost all of his time in his room working with laboratory equipment. The only time he comes out is at night.

More than once, he causes accidents with his experiments. Mrs. Hall, who, along with her husband, owns the inn, demands that Griffin pays for the damage to their inn. 

He continues to act oddly, ordering strange shipments to the hotel and becoming the talk of the town. Around that time, a burglary occurs in Iping at the same time that Griffin is known to be running out of money. He should be paying his bill but isn’t able to. It’s at this point that he reveals the truth of his invisibility to the innkeeper while he’s suffering a fit of anger.

They try to stop him, but, Griffin takes off his clothes and is therefore rendered entirely invisible. He flees to the South Downs, a coastal region of England, and there meets Thomas Marvel, a homeless man who Griffin wants to help complete another robbery. The two go back to the village along with Griffin’s notebooks. But, Thomas is not in the business of being ordered around and is fairly clever himself. He tries to betray Griffin, who reacts angrily and threatens to kill him. But Thomas escapes to Port Burdock.

Griffin takes shelter from locals in a nearby home belonging to Dr. Kent, an instructor he knew in medical school. It’s here that readers learn a bit more about Griffin’s history. He is a former medical student suffering from albinism who became entirely consumed by the possibility of turning himself invisible. Griffin explains to Kemp and to the reader how he experimented with invisibility. He tried it on a cat at first, burned down the boarding house in an attempt to cover his tracks, and realized, after the experiments worked, that he would struggle to survive.

He stole what he needed, and his already poor personality and selfish motives worsened. Griffin is trying to reverse his invisibility but has yet to succeed. Since it seems permanent, Griffin confides in Dr. Kemp that he plans to use his invisibility to terrorize the entire country.

Despite thinking he can trust Dr. Kemp, Griffin soon realizes that Kemp has denounced him to the authorities and is, at that very moment, waiting for help to arrive. The police turn up, and Griffin fights his way out of the house. He leaves Kemp a note, telling him that he’ll be the first person he kills during his reign of terror.

While running from the police, Griffin kills a bystander with an iron bar. He also shoots the chief of police and breaks into Dr. Kemp’s house. He tries to kill the man by strangling him. The mob successfully corners Griffin, and they beat him to death. At the end of the book, in an epilogue, it’s revealed that the homeless man, Thomas Marvel, has stolen Griffin’s notes and is trying to re-create his experiments with no success.

How does The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells end?

The book ends with Griffin being beaten to death by the residents of Iping. They find him at Dr. Kemp’s home and stop him before he can kill anyone else. 

What are some themes in The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells? 

Some of the themes of this unique novel are isolation, science (specifically the dangers that thoughtless scientific advancement pose), and community. The latter is seen through the way that the villagers of Iping work together to stop Griffin. 

Who is the villain in The Invisible Man ?

The villain of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man is Griffin, the Invisible Man himself. He takes the role of the main character and antagonist. He is incredibly unlikeable and only becomes more so throughout the novel as it’s revealed that he has no real redeeming features.

What is the central message of The Invisible Man ?

The central message is that not all scientific advancement is good. Griffin makes incredible strides in his specific field of science. But, just because he discovered something new doesn’t mean that he should’ve.

About Emma Baldwin

Emma Baldwin, a graduate of East Carolina University, has a deep-rooted passion for literature. She serves as a key contributor to the Book Analysis team with years of experience.

Cite This Page

Baldwin, Emma " The Invisible Man Summary 📖 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/hg-wells/the-invisible-man/summary/ . Accessed 9 April 2024.

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The Invisible Man

H. g. wells, everything you need for every book you read..

A strange man (later introduced as Griffin ) arrives in Iping and takes lodging at the Coach and Horses Inn. He is completely wrapped up in clothing, which he does not take off even after Mrs. Hall , who runs the inn, lights a fire for him. Mrs. Hall notices that Griffin’s face is also wrapped in bandages. Griffin is rude to her, and impatiently asks when he will be able to get his luggage from the train station. Later that day, Griffin explains that he is an “experimental investigator” and that he needs his equipment.

The following day, the carrier Fearenside brings Griffin’s luggage, which is filled with scientific equipment, handwritten notebooks , and crates of fluids, some of which are labeled Poison . Later that day, Mrs. Hall hears the sound of bottles smashing, and when she asks Griffin about this he tells her not to bother him, saying that she can add extra charges to his bill. Griffin stays at the inn for a number of months. He does not attend church or communicate with anyone outside of the village, and only goes out at night. The villagers gossip, inventing many different theories about him. The local doctor, Cuss , visits Griffin at the inn, and is shocked to see that his sleeve is completely empty where an arm should be—yet he still manages to pinch Cuss’s nose.

On the holiday of Whit Monday, Rev. Bunting and Mrs. Bunting wake up to sounds of the vicarage being burgled. They try to catch the robber, but cannot see anyone there. The same morning, Mr. Hall and Mrs. Hall notice that the door to Griffin’s room is open, and his bed is empty. They call Sandy Wadgers , the blacksmith, to change the locks so they can lock Griffin out, but while they are discussing this Griffin emerges from his room (though it had seemed empty before) and goes into the parlor, which he has been using as a personal study. He locks himself in and can be heard shouting and smashing things. Later, Mrs. Hall asks Griffin why he hasn’t paid his bill; when he offers her money, she is suspicious, as just days before he said he didn’t have anything.

When confronted by the villagers at the inn, Griffin takes off his bandages to reveal a “black cavity”—his invisible face. On learning the truth about Griffin, the villagers flee in horror. The local constable, Bobby Jaffers , attempts to arrest Griffin for burgling the vicarage, but fails and Griffin escapes.

Outside of Iping, Griffin seeks the help of a local “tramp,” Thomas Marvel . At first Marvel thinks he’s hallucinating when he hears a disembodied voice talking to him, but Griffin proves that he is real and invisible by throwing stones at him. Amazed, Marvel agrees to help Griffin, and returns to the Coach and Horses, where he seizes some of Griffin’s belongings from his room, including his notebooks. Dr. Cuss and Rev. Bunting had previously looked through the notebooks while Griffin was gone, but couldn’t understand their contents. Mr. Huxter attempts to catch Marvel but fails. Griffin smashes the windows of the inn and cuts the village’s telegraph wire before fleeing. Everyone in Iping is too scared to come out of their houses for two hours.

Marvel tries to quit his role as Griffin’s helper, but Griffin threatens to kill him if he betrays him. The next day, Marvel and Griffin reach the town of Port Stowe, and Marvel strikes up a conversation with a local mariner . The mariner tells him the rumors about the Invisible Man and shows him a newspaper article about the events in Iping. Marvel boasts that he knows about the Invisible Man from “private sources,” but after Griffin hurts him he goes back on his word and tells the mariner that the whole story is a hoax.

The narrative shifts to a man named Doctor Kemp as he sits in his office, which overlooks the town of Port Burdock. He is dismayed by local gossip about the Invisible Man and the “fools” who believe the story is real. Nearby, Marvel bursts into the Jolly Cricketers pub, explaining in terror that he needs help because the Invisible Man is after him. Griffin enters the pub too and there is a scuffle. One of the men in the pub shoots the air, attempting to hit Griffin.

Doctor Kemp’s doorbell rings, but his servant tells him that no one was there when she answered. Kemp then finds blood on his bedroom door handle and floor. In his bedroom, Griffin speaks to Kemp, and at first Kemp refuses to believe that he is really there. Griffin introduces himself, reminding Kemp that they studied together at University College London. Kemp eventually believes Griffin and gives him food and whiskey. He allows Griffin to sleep in his bedroom, and when he goes to sleep worries that Griffin might be insane and “homicidal.”

The next day, Griffin tells Kemp that years earlier, while researching light and optics, he discovered a way of turning living tissue invisible. He kept his findings to himself, worried that someone would steal them. After spending three years researching invisibility, Griffin realized that he would need money in order to actually conduct the experiment. He stole money from his father that did not actually belong to him, which led his father to shoot himself. Griffin admits that he did not feel guilt or sympathy for his father.

Griffin says he first tested his invisibility experiment on a piece of fabric, and then on his neighbor ’s cat. The cat’s pained meowing awoke his landlord , who grew suspicious of Griffin’s activities. Griffin then conducted the experiment on himself, successfully turning himself invisible. Aware of his landlord’s suspicions, he set his apartment on fire and fled. Out in the world, Griffin found it harder than he assumed to be invisible. He regularly bumped into people, was freezing because he could not wear clothes without being seen, and couldn’t eat, as food showed up in his stomach before it was fully digested. He robbed two different stores, but each time got perilously close to being discovered. He was eventually able to rob clothing and other items to disguise himself, wrapping himself up to conceal his invisibility from the world. He eventually traveled to Iping, hoping to continue his scientific research there.

Griffin tells Kemp that he plans to impose a “Reign of Terror,” killing people as he sees fit, in order to institute “the Epoch of the Invisible Man.” He hopes that Kemp will work with him, but Kemp warns him that he is choosing the wrong path. Colonel Adye then arrives at Kemp’s house, and on hearing this, Griffin shouts “Traitor!” and flees. Adye and Kemp warn everyone in the local area about Griffin’s plans, and a manhunt begins. Mr. Wicksteed , the steward to Lord Burdock , is found murdered on the grounds of Lord Burdock’s house. No one knows exactly what happened, but everyone agrees Griffin is responsible.

Griffin attacks Kemp and Adye at Kemp’s house, shooting Adye with his own gun. Kemp flees, begging for help from his neighbor Mr. Heelas , who refuses. Kemp runs into town being chased by Griffin. A mob of people descends on Griffin, and although Kemp begs them to have mercy, Griffin is beaten to death. His body becomes visible again as he dies.

In the epilogue, the narrator explains that after Griffin’s death, Marvel used the money he stole from him to become a landlord. He is now a respected man in the local area who has a “reputation for wisdom.” Sometimes Marvel shares his stories of the Invisible Man with passersby. However, he never reveals that he kept Griffin’s notebooks, which he keeps stored secretly and whose contents he does not understand.

Invisible Man

86 pages • 2 hours read

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Chapter 1

Chapters 2-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-21

Chapter 22-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Summary and Study Guide

Invisible Man was published in 1952 and written by African American author Ralph Ellison. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953, and Ellison was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1985 for his contributions to American literature. In addition to his fiction, he wrote essays and was a professor, teaching at several prestigious American universities including Yale University, Bard College, New York University, the University of Chicago, and Rutgers University. He also received medals from two US presidents as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and various international honors. Invisible Man is a 20th-century realist novel that examines the issue of African American oppression in 1930s America.

This guide refers to the 1980 Random House edition.

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Plot Summary

Invisible Man ’s protagonist is a young Black man whose name is never given in the text. He grows up in the Jim Crow southern region of the US and is driven to try to achieve professional success even in a segregated world in which he is the victim of racial stereotypes and discrimination. As a graduating high school senior, he is invited to give a graduation speech at a reception attended by prominent White men in his hometown. However, he quickly finds that the event is an excuse to force young Black men to entertain the White people by boxing blindfolded and afterwards scrambling on an electrified carpet for fake money. At the end of the night, he’s given a briefcase with notification inside that he has been admitted to a Black college.

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Several years later, the protagonist angers the college’s president by taking an esteemed White founder to impoverished areas surrounding the college rather than presenting a more “sanitized” view of the area. The president punishes him by sending him to New York City, ostensibly just for the summer so he can learn to interact with White people in a professional way. The president sends sealed letters that he claims are recommendations to prominent White men in New York. Upon his arrival, the protagonist discovers that the letters actually tell the White men that the protagonist has been expelled and not to give him work, stranding him in the city without any savings.

Desperate to earn money, the protagonist works one day in a paint factory, where an explosion injures him. He’s treated in the factory hospital and involuntarily undergoes a lobotomy-like procedure, then is released and told he’ll be “compensated” for his trouble. The protagonist finds another job with an organization called the Brotherhood of Man as a community activist and orator. The Brotherhood works under what seems to be a strict code of ethics that appeals to the protagonist, and he enjoys his work for a while, becoming familiar with other activists in Harlem, where he’s based.

After a few months of growing disagreement and contention between the Brotherhood and the protagonist, he’s sent out of Harlem for a while. Upon his return, he finds that the Brotherhood has abandoned its work in Harlem, leaving the people it assisted desperate and without resources. Enraged by the Brotherhood’s actions and the unjust death of a fellow activist, he stages a funeral that raises an outcry against White authorities from the Harlem community.

The protagonist is thrown into the race riots that erupt and realizes that the Brotherhood means to make him a scapegoat for the unrest. Having been let down repeatedly by the people and groups who once had his respect, he finally decides that he will determine his own sense of self rather than letting it be dictated to him. During the riots, he falls down a manhole and uses it as a chance to stage a “disappearance.” His absence lets him spend some years living a quiet life in Harlem before he reemerges, ready to rejoin the effort of social causes. Ellison combines psychological and social storylines in Invisible Man , examining the effects of racism on his protagonist and his ability, nonetheless, to rise above the difficulties he encounters to craft his own sense of self. 

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The Invisible Man is the story of a young black man whose name the reader never learns. He is a young man from the South who is haunted by his grandfather's deathbed warning against conforming to the wishes of white people because the young man sees that as the way to be successful. The narrator's...

Living in invisibility may be viewed as a sad life. How an invisible man goes on is difficult to understand though. He has no name and no true identity. He could live in chaos and be powerless to do anything about it. His whole existence is trivial and ineffective. He has nothing in theory. Before...

Invisible Man Journal Entry #1 To me, the most interesting part of this novel so far is the interaction with Jim Trueblood and the story that he tells. The different reactions that Jim gets from white people and black people is especially interesting because the whites, upon hearing about what Jim...

THE INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison Ralph Ellison's novel, Invisible Man, embodies many villains that the narrator (the main character) faces. Dr. Bledsoe and Brother Jack are just two of the villains that use and take advantage of the narrator. After each confrontation with his enemies, the...

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Invisible Man Summary Ralph Ellison

Everything you need to understand or teach Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison .

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Invisible Man Summary

At its appearance in 1952, Invisible Man was immediately hailed as a masterpiece A work both epic and richly comic, It won the National Book Award for its author, Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man has been translated into fourteen languages and has never been out of print. A 1965 Book Week poll of two hundred writers and critics selected it as the most distinguished novel of the previous twenty years. Written in the style of a...

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Invisible Man Study Guide

Encyclopedia articles (1), ralph ellison biographies (6), essays & analysis (22), free book notes (1), lesson plan.

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The Invisible Man Metaphors and Similes

By h.g. wells.

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by Timothy Sexton

Tell, Don’t Show

The first two chapters describe in detail the arrival of the stranger who will be revealed first as the Invisible Man and then as the mad scientist Griffin. The owners of the inn are introduced and the mysterious aspect of the stranger is effectively staged. Those opening chapters are robust with dialogue and reveal the talent of Wells to do that which is drummed into the minds of wannabe writers with perhaps—actually without much doubt—too much zeal: show, don’t tell. The problem with that advice is that there are occasions when telling is simply better. Such as the recap of what has just transpired in those first two chapters which is told in one single brilliantly evocative metaphorical sentence which opens the third chapter:

“So it was that on the twenty-ninth day of February, at the beginning of the thaw, this singular person fell out of infinity into Iping village.”

That is a line which says it all and would be difficult if not impossible to “show” quite as effectively.

How Do You Describe an Invisible Man?

How exactly do you go about describing an invisible man? By making sure his clothes aren’t invisible and then forcing him to wear outrageous attire described metaphorically:

"The poor soul's had an accident or an op'ration or somethin'…and they goggles! Why, he looked more like a divin' helmet than a human man!"

Vexations of an Invisible Man

Part of the problem with becoming invisible is that one must work hard to attain the knowledge. They say knowledge is power, but the knowledge of how to become invisible…that is some serious power. Which Griffin recognizes and thus his long backstory tale told to Kemp is punctuated with the difficulties involved in attaining knowledge without needlessly being forced to share it:

“I had to do my work under frightful disadvantages. Oliver, my professor, was a scientific bounder, a journalist by instinct, a thief of ideas—he was always prying!”

“The Furniture That Went Mad”

The novel is one of those in which the chapters are not just number, but subtitled. Chapter Six sports a metaphor as its subtitle. “The Furniture that Went Mad” is actually a figurative description of what it looks like to peer into a room occupied by an invisible man.

The Dangerously Disastrous Man

By the end, the Griffin has become something much more than merely the terror known as the Invisible Man. Only one man knows the full extent of what Griffin is capable of as long as he can continue to maintain his invisibility. By the end, the literal quality of invisibility has been exchanged for a broader and more metaphorical description. Though, admittedly, not one as pithy for a title:

“he is a danger, a disaster”

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The Invisible Man Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Invisible Man is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

The Invisible Man, Ch 1

d) She wants to impress her guest.

The Invisible Man - Ch 1

"He stamped, shook the snow from off himself in the bar, and followed Mrs. Hall into her guest parlour to strike his bargain. With that much introduction and a couple of coins flung upon the table, he took up his quarters in the inn." (Par 1)

I might go with :

d) "He made no answer, and had turned his face away from her again. Mrs. Hall, feeling that her attempts at conversation were ill-timed, set the rest of the table quickly and whisked out of the room." (Par 7)

Study Guide for The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man study guide contains a biography of H.G. Wells, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Invisible Man
• The Invisible Man Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells.

• The Invisible Man: A Eugenic Pamphlet
• Feminism in the 2020 film "The Invisible Man"

Wikipedia Entries for The Invisible Man

• Introduction
• Plot summary
• Scientific accuracy