The Invisible Man: Annotated
Herbert George Wells
Paperback
(Independently published, March 13, 2018)
''For the Ralph Ellison novel, see Invisible Man. For other uses, see The Invisible Man. For the character in the series referred to as The Invisible Man, see Griffin (The Invisible Man).'' The Invisible Man is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man of the title is Griffin, a scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and invents a way to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs nor reflects light and thus becomes invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but fails in his attempt to reverse it. An enthusiast of random and irresponsible violence, Griffin has become an iconic character in horror fiction.While its predecessors, The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau, were written using first-person narrators, Wells adopts a third-person objective point of view in The Invisible Man. Griffin Main article: Griffin (The Invisible Man) Griffin is the surname of the story's protagonist. His name is not mentioned until about halfway through the book. Consumed with his greed for power and fame, he is the model of science without humanity. A gifted young student, he becomes interested in the science of refraction. During his experiments, he accidentally discovers chemicals (combined with an unspecified kind of radiation) that would make living tissue invisible. Obsessed with his discovery, he tries the experiment on himself and becomes invisible. However, he does not know how to reverse the process, and he slowly discovers that the advantages of being invisible do not outweigh the disadvantages and the problems he faces. Thus begins his downfall as he takes the road to crime for his survival, revealing in the process his lack of conscience, inhumanity and complete selfishness. He progresses from obsession to fanaticism, to insanity, and finally to his fateful end.