The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

This is our final discussion for The Invisible Man, I hope everyone who participated enjoyed the book.

What do you think went through Dr. Kemp's mind when Griffin proposed his Reign of Terror idea? Dr. Kemp seemed to go through a wide range of emotions from the brief time Griffin came to his house to the end of the book. By the end of the book, what do you think Dr. Kemp was thinking/feeling about Griffin overall?

What did you think about the death of Griffin? Could the story have ended differently or was Griffin's death inevitable? Do you feel sorry or badly for Griffin in any way or do you feel he get his

Here are a few questions from the publisher's website:

However fantastic, H. G. Wells’s works often contain allegorical meanings and themes that point to real-world conflicts, social conditions, and political ideas. What are some of the ways in which The Invisible Man might be construed allegorically?

What do you think The Invisible Man has to say about the relationship between science and morality?

Is there a moral to this story? If so, what would you say it is?

Compare Wells’s creation to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Are there similarities?

I felt sorry for him in a way, but he did so many bad things that he had no chance for a good outcome.

There is a similarity to Frankenstein in the hubris of the scientist trying to go against nature (or God) and not foreseeing the consequences. Griffin never thought of using his knowledge to help anyone, just to get wealth and power for himself.

Gem ☘️Kiss Me I'm Irish☘️ wrote: "Compare Wells’s creation to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Are there similarities? ..."

I actually made some comparisons between The Invisible Man and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. My review is here.

Wow. I didn't know much about this book going in, and didn't expect it to turn so dark! The first half was a bit comedic. I really wasn't expecting Griffin to propose a scheme of killing people. I thought he'd want Kemp's help to get his books and undo his invisibility, perhaps publish his papers and become famous.

Imagine what a surprise it must have been for Kemp! Obviously, he sent the note to the police before he even knew anything aside from what Griffin had done in Ipich, and I was a bit surprised he sent it. Perhaps he remembered something about Griffin from their school days that made him suspect he would be up to no good. Maybe Griffin was already cruel as a student and Kemp knew it.

I did get the similarities to Frankenstein. But Frankenstein's creature didn't ask to be made. Frankenstein made him and abandoned him, so the creature was a bit more of a sympathetic character. Griffin was a bad man to begin with, and he brought all this upon himself.

Gave it four stars!

Griffin was a nasty character.

The end was tragic. I guess Kemp was always suspicious of Griffin, A man of science once, it was evident that Griffin had lost his way when he was revealing his plan of reign of terror.

I think the moral of the story is science without conscience will always create monsters.

Allegorically speaking, I guess Griffin could represent everyone who are generally invisible in the society because no one sees them or thinks about them. Like Griffin there must be so many people in the world for whom getting basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter are chalenges that they deal with everyday until the day when their presence is felt by the society because of some act of violence by them.

SP wrote: "Like Griffin there must be so many people in the world for whom getting basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter are chalenges that they deal with everyday until the day when their presence is felt by the society because of some act of violence by them."

That's a very good point!