Reading 1001 discussion

Read 2012; The Invisible Man is a tale of the antihero, Griffin, a scientist/student who found a way to make himself invisible which he saw as a means of power. “An invisible man is a man of power”. But there are disadvantages and everything he hoped to accomplish is halted by these difficulties, dogs that sense him, food which shows when ingested. Griffin can take his place beside Frankenstein and Faust as individuals who become more and more destructive as they pursue power. It is also a moral fable; invisibility places Griffen outside of society and alienates him. In the 1001 reference book; the reviewer states that the novel shows the author’s hostility to Nietzschean thought and particularly “superman”. The novel also reminds us that scientific discovery can be used to further evil rather than good. I enjoyed this tale and at first was thinking 3 stars but changed my mind and gave it four.

An interesting short book with elements of sci-fi, mystery and horror, that was fun to read. The writing style is not my favorite, it’s very straight-forward, concentrating mostly on the plot. I would like more in-depth psychological analysis of Griffin (the Invisible Man) and philosophical exploration of the topic because I find the premise very interesting. One could argue that invisibility was the factor that precipitated Griffin’s moral and psychological deterioration, even though I think he didn't have a healthy personality or a solid moral compass to begin with. The strong point of this book is an exploration of destructive sides that extraordinary power as invisibility has. In our fantasy likewise superhero ability can be romanticized, but in practical reality, there is nothing idealistic about it, it gives certain benefits, but like everything else has a dark side. I liked the description of things I didn't think about - how Invisible Man couldn’t eat (food processing would make him visible), wear clothes or have shelter, living in constant fear of imprisonment

Having encountered the basic premise through old Hollywood movies, I was surprised by both the barebones plot and the moral lessons that this older version brought forward. Griffin, the Invisible Man, finds that being invisible, which should be a great gift, is in fact a collection of thorny problems that he is not very capable of overcoming. He, like every other man, learns that he must have an associate or partner to make his way practically possible. Failing this and feeling betrayed, he succumbs to his own anger management issues and lack of any moral foundation. Very quick read, and I read it on April Fool's Day....which somehow seemed appropriate.

It was ok, with more humor to it than I expected. As Gail points out above, being invisible is a real hassle. I realized while reading this one that I'm not a huge fan of Wells, having previously slogged through The Time Machine and War of the Worlds. Much respect to him for coming up with the ideas for all of these stories, but I just don't enjoy reading his books very much. Sometimes it may be because he spends too much time on the "science" -- I'll just take it as read that he invented something that makes him invisible, you don't need to explain the method. Sometimes it may be that I am so familiar with the plots from film adaptations that there is just no suspense.

⭐⭐ 1/2