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Summary
The War of the Worlds
The science fiction novel ‚The War of the Worlds‘ written by
Herbert George Wells in 1898,which has been described as a powerful and apocalyptic
vision of the world invaded by Martians, tells the story of Martians, fleeing
their own planet because its resources are depleted, invading our Earth, landing
in England, sweeping through the countryside, destroying or capturing everything
in their path. Any effort by the humans to hold up the Martians advance is crushed;
the alien invaders seem unstoppable until the very end of the book when a common
germ eliminates the Martian menace.
In the beginning of the book the narrator, a philsoph and writer
of scientific texts, explains why the Martians invaded Earth. Furthermore he
mentions how the appearance of gas explosions are observed on Mars at regular
24 hour intervals. Later the first projectile, considered to be a meteorite,
impacts between Horsell, Ottershaw and Woking. The lack of interest in this
celestial body by the inhabitants of the surrounding area disappears as the
meteorite is identified as a hollow cylinder,whose top begins to unscrew. This
is then linked with the gas explosions on Mars. It is imagined that a peaceful
conversation with the Martians is possible and there is great excitement when
suddenly the Martians begin to emerge from the cylinder. Then, as a mass of
people press around the pit made by the cylinder, a metallic tentacle sticks
out of the cylinders opening and kills the majority of the people by using an
unknown heat-ray. The narrator, who is a witness of this happening, flees and,
arriving home, tells his wife the things that have happened. Until this time,
he had thought that Martians could not survive on earth because of the differences
in gravity. After the heat-ray incident the common where the cylinder is situated,
remains deserted and guarded by some army troops. The interest in the unusual
projectile calms down and the people go back into their daily lives. Then a
second cylinder impacts. Suddenly, as the narrator sits with his wife on the
terrace, gunshots and loud thunder are heard. The army is fighting against
the Martians who ignite, everything in their range with their heat-rays. The
narrator and his wife, whose house would also soon be in the range of the heat-ray,
flee to the narrator‘s cousin in Leatherhead. Leaving his wife in the cousins
house the narrator heads back to Woking where he wants to help his neighbours
and friends to escape. He sees the landing of the third cylinder and observes
for the first time the Martian tripods which are gathering around it. Back in
the narrator‘s house an artillaryman appears and sums up what has happened since
the narrator had left for Leatherhead. The next morning the narrator and the
artillaryman decide, against the plan to return to Leatherhead because this
would lead them directly across the Martians path. Therefore they head for Weybridge
via Byfleet. Arriving in Byfleet they find total confusion, noting that still
more army troops are arriving. At midday near where the rivers Thames and
Wey join, four Martian tripods appear striding towards the river and fortunately
one tripod is destroyed by the army. After the destruction the narrator and
the artilleryman get split up and the narrator escapes by boat in the direction
of London where he meets a curate.
The narrators brother, who is a London medical
student, working for an imminent examination, takes up the tale. The fact that
London is far situated from where the Martians landed means that the people
in London do not recognize the threat and remain unperturbed. Only when the
newspapers start to print the truth do people recognize the immensity of the
menace and begin to evacuate the city. When the fourth cylinder impacts, the
mention of the poison-gas, sprayed by the martians over all the fields and villages,
brings another weapon into the story. The next day the narrator‘s brother flees
London rescuing two woman and their cart. Together, they try to cross the Great
North Road, but it is swarming with panic-stricken crowds. As the three eventually
arrive at the coast and board a paddlesteamer they witness the destruction of
two other Martian tripods by the torpedo-ram „Thunder Child“.
As the story gets back to the narrator‘s situation he sets out
for Leatherhead to save his wife, but, accompanied by the curate, they take
refuge in an empty house and are trapped when the fifth cylinder lands. Imprisoned
in the ruined house the narrator describes the Martians‘ machines and creatures
that operate them. For the first glance they look rather like animals than like
machines. Hours later the narrator witnesses the Martians‘ treatment of captured
humans and resolves to escape. The martian suck out the humans blood as their
nutrition . Unfortunately the curate loses his reason and his shouts
attract a Martian machine which kills him with its tentacles while the narrator
hides in the coal cellar of the house. After days without food and water the
narrator risks using the water pump and discovers that the Martians have left
the pit in front of the house. Later he escapes from the house, wanders through
the woods and meets the artillaryman again , who expounds his exaggerated plans
for mankind’s survival. Finding the artillaryman’s plans bizzare, he sets off
alone to find other survivors. Onb reaching London he hears an unearthly
howling and discovers it comes from a dying Martian tripod. On Primrose Hill
he finds the Martians‘ base which has now become their grave. Human germs have
anhiliated them. When the news of the Martians death is published, the suvivors
return to London, but the narrator‘s delight is inhibited, because he hears
that Leatherhead has been destroyed. He returns home, desolate; but his cousin
and wife are fortunately waiting for him.
The last chapter of the book is a reflection by the narrator
on the effects on mankind of the Martians‘ invasion.
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