Literary Arguments for H.G. Wells
Prompt
In The Invisible Man Hawley Griffin holds an "ideal view on the world." This provided essay is analyzing the character's idealism and the negative consequences. H.G. Wells portrayal of how Hawley Griffin's idealism illuminates the work as a whole.
Essay
In the novel The Invisible Man H.G. Wells uses characters emotions and characters actions in order to convey how his idealism causes negative consequences; ultimately illustrating the “ ideal view of the world” brings out the true reality of the world, and the effects of losing touch with reality.
To begin, H.G. Wells uses characters emotions to show how Hawley Griffins idealism caused negative consequences. Hawley Griffins idea was the invisibility would solve all problems. He had a strange passion for invisibility that he tried to share with those around him. His peers never had the same passion as him, and it made him mad that no one understood his point of view. Griffin understood the power that someone would gain if they were not visible. He felt that he would be free and able to do whatever he wished. He thought that the power of being invisible was unlimited, and he would gain so much power. He felt very excited and eager to start this journey. However, when he actually had these powers his emotions changed. He began to feel very lonely and isolated. He realized the danger to his power and became scared of himself. Griffin knew that he would be able to cause harm before, but he didn’t understand the extent of what he would truly be able to achieve. Griffin felt idiotic for being interested in invisibility after this outcome. He finally understood why his peers looked at him like he was crazy when he suggested this idea. His emotions become warnings that his idealism is going to far. His emotions shifting from excited to lonely and scared portrayed how Griffins idealism came with negative consequences.
To continue, H.G. Wells also uses characters actions in order to show Hawley Griffins idealism leading to negative consequences. Griffins idealism of being invisible backfires through his actions after becoming invisible. While Griffin is invisible he becomes very aggressive and doesn’t want to follow the law. His actions are cruel which reflects his loss of morality and humanity. Every action made by Griffin digs him deeper into trouble. One major example of Griffins aggressive side while he is invisible is when he terrorizes the townspeople in the village named Iping. At first he was just pranking them but shortly after it escalated into violent acts. He was assaulting people, breaking into homes, and even killed a man in self defense. This example shows how Griffin thought that being invisible would be able to solve problems, however when actually invisible it can be very dangerous. These consequences are very severe and harmful. This shows how his idealistic belief in the benefits of invisibility is way off base. Him being invisible did not turn out how he had hoped at all. What he thought would help the world actually ended up hurting it. This idea of invisibility introduced many negative consequences Griffin had not considered before.
Ultimately, through the novel The Invisible Man H.G. Wells conveys his “ideal view on the world” using his complex emotions and actions. The idea that invisibility would help solve problems in the world ended up causing chaos and crimes. Through Griffins emotions and actions it is seen how his idea transferred into negative consequences. Idealism in many cases can cause many negative outcomes.
FRQ 3 The Time Machine
Prompt
A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literally works a symbol can express an idea, clarity meaning, or enlarge literal meaning.
Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write and essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
In the Novel The Time Machine, H.G. Wells employs positive and negative effects in order to convey how the Time Machine symbolizes the dangers of time travel, ultimately illustrating the different outcomes of curiosity.
Wells first portrayed the positive effects of the Time Machine to demonstrate the benefits of curiosity. The Time Traveler went into the past, and when he was there the biggest difference was societal class interaction. He viewed how the higher class treated the lower classes and was astonished. The Time Traveler was not aware of the mistreatment showed to the lower classes in the past. He compared what he viewed, and was thankful to be living in the time period he was in prior to time traveling. The curiosity that fueled the exploration was due to his love for science. The Time Traveler was proud of society for their advancements in that area. The experience he had from his time period helped him see the mistreatment of the lower class in the past. Society was now able to adjust from this way of thinking, and The Time Traveler was pleased with these improvements. The Time Traveler also explored technology through new energy sources. The energy sources he created to power his time machine had a massive impact on the plot of the novel. These energy sources were the catalyst for his adventure into time. This curiosity created a new symbolic energy type that was all natural, and was safe towards the environment.
Wells next portrayed the damage that can be caused to the future in order to show how the time machine can represent the consequences of curiosity. When the Time Traveler first encounters the Eloi civilization, he becomes distraught due to the simplistic lifestyle they obtain. The Eloi are creatures that have evolved from humans. This lifestyle creates worry from The Time Traveler about the future changes in civilization. He has the future of mankind right in front of him, and he wonders what terrible things have happened to make them this way. The time machine brought him to this place due to his curiosity, and has created a world of worry for him. Another way that The Time Traveler’s curiosity harms him is when he meets the Morlocks. The Morlocks are the other evolved species of humans in this time period. They live underground in the dark with no interaction with other species other than the Eloi. The Morlocks are the antagonist of the novel. These cannibalistic creatures kill one another in order to maintain the highest level in the city. The creatures of the highest social class torture the Eloi. They go from below ground to the surface and eat Eloi, and the Eloi cannot fight back because of their simplistic lifestyle. These actions once again worry The Time Traveler because of how diabolic one species can be to another, and still rule over the world. The curiosity caused by the creation of the time machine has once again created The Time Traveler to question mankind.
Ultimately, The Time Machine, H.G. Wells uses the time machine to symbolize the positive and negative effects of time travel. The positives are being able to see societal and ecological improvements from the past, and the negatives are seeing the regression of mankind and return of battling for social class. The time machine creates an exploration through the good and evil of curiosity.
