H.G.+Wells

H.G. Wells [(Essay Date 10 June 2012) This literary criticism is written by P.S. and it analysis how the point of view of the narrator can effect the delivery and description of a story] Every book has its own unique perspective in order to tell the story. //War of the Worlds//, by H.G. Wells, is told mainly **through a first person point of view, which gives the perspective of the narrator throughout the entire book. In //War of the World,// the unnamed narrator tells the story based on his own personal adventures. However, H.G. Wells uses a slightly different first person narration then other authors.** [(Essay Date 10 June 2012) This literary analysis is written by P.S. and it analysis the authors view of the future and what will become of mankind.]
 * The narrator in //War of the Worlds// begins the story by describing a “great light” seen coming off of mars six years before the present time. As the narrator begins telling his story, it becomes obvious that he is a very bland, unenthusiastic, character. The reader never feels upset when the narrator is upset. The narrator doesn’t waste time telling about his own feeling, but instead focuses on the crazy events around him. This makes his a good disaster-story narrator. This differs from other stories in first person where the narrator is very enthusiastic and very interesting. He tells the story more by describing facts then by telling a story. The narrator also tells the story describing other people and the events around him. He never goes into detail about himself or about his life. The entire story is based on what the world is experiencing. This differs as well from other stories where the narrator describes his/her self and goes into detail about their life. This way of telling the story allows the reader to experience the event happening in full and not just what the narrator experiences. The narrator develops as less of a character and more of an informer of events happening. **
 * The narrator of the story tells the story in the past, describing the events as they happened in the past. This allows the narrator to change his mind and remember events to alter the story as it is told. For example the narrator says things like "but later I was to learn" and "at the time" when he does not know something. Because he is telling the story from his past, he is able to say things that he did not know at the time. This allows the narrator to foreshadow many events, because he sneaks in things he knows will happen. Foreshadowing is present from the first chapter, as “this world was being watched keenly and closely.” This shows that the Martians are interested in Earth and foreshadows an invasion. The narrator’s ability to foreshadow is solely because he has already experienced the event. This perspective of the story allows for this unique way of describing events. **
 * As a protagonist, the narrator is a good choice. He is an average man who wants only to live his life peacefully with his wife. He is not always above blame, such as when he takes the dog cart when he knew the innkeeper would need it. But overall he acts remarkably well, especially considering the circumstances. He tries to keep as calm as possible, and tries to survive the attack as long as he can. Being the protagonist and main character allows the narrator to tell the story as he wants it told. He tells the events as vividly as he can, without having his own life and experiences interfere much. The narrator bases the events not on himself, but on the Martians, and the citizens experiencing the invasion.**
 * Although the story is told through a first person point of view, H.G. Wells puts his own personal spin on the narrator. He does this by having the narrator talks about events that he didn’t see or could not have possibly known. This is present in the chapters on the book based on his brother’s life. He tells of the events his brother went through, not being there with him. He also describes what his brother thought and felt at the time. These are things the narrator never could have known, yet tells as if he was there. For example, when the brother rescues the Elphinstones from the robbers, the brother "immediately grasped the situation" and "realizes from his antagonist's face that a fight was unavoidable." There were also other smaller instances where the narrator gets into the mind of another character. For example, the narrator tells the story of Ogilvy's discovery of the Martian cylinder from his point of view. He does this by including notes such as how Ogilvy makes a "quick mental leap." This ability of the narrator to get in the minds of other character, yet still be in first person, allows for a more thorough description of the events without emotional interactions with characters.**
 * There are also times where the narrator shows a broad outlook on the situation. This is mostly present in the beginning of the book, as the situation begins to be described. The narrator says that the Martians have been watching Earth for a long time. This is an example of both the narrator knowing something he should not, and using what he learns in the future, in the past. It also shows a broader outlook then just the city. When the narrator adds all of these things together it gives a more in depth analysis and description of the invasion and the events leading up to the invasion.**
 * In conclusion, H.G. Wells uses an unnamed narrator that brings much more a first person point of view. His narrator mostly describes the events and actions of the invasion and doesn’t focus on his own life. This makes him a very good narrator for this disaster movie because his unenthusiastic and bland way of describing puts more emphasis on the disaster and less on the emotions of characters. He also tells events through the eyes of other people. This gives a more thorough analysis of the invasion, allowing for more input of the events through one character. The narrator also shows broader outlooks on the events that he should not know. This gives him uniqueness and allows for a better understanding of the invasion. Because of the complexity of an unnamed narrator, the story of the Martian invasion can be told fully and without character emotions. This makes this type of narration perfect for this disaster.**

When people think about the future, they think about flying cars, robots, and smart houses. In //The Time Machine,// by H.G. Wells, the main character thinks this how the world is going to end up. However, he faces the shock of his life when he travels to the future and sees what the future will hold for mankind. It is nothing like what he expected, and is a representation of what H.G. Wells thinks of mankind and how it will turn out.  In //The Time Machine//, the main character, or the time traveler, believes that the world is going to be faster, more evolved, and more intelligent. He also believes that humans are going to be able to use animals and nature better for their own benefit. This shows how humans assume they will get more intelligent with evolution, yet without working hard and investigating the world this will never happen. //The Time Machine//, tells the story of a future where the rich people live believing they are superior and do not have to work for what they have. The working class and poor people, however, work hard and come out on top.  The time traveler believes that as time passes, their will only be progress in mankind. “The whole world will be intelligent, educated, and co-operating; things will move faster and faster toward the subjugation of nature. In the end, wisely and carefully we shall readjust the balance of animal and vegetable life to suit our human needs.” This is proven to be not true however. When he travels to the future he sees that this is not entirely true. The richer people do not work for what they have; therefore in the future they do not have it. In the present, rich people are smart, and superior. They believe that because they are on top now, so they do not need to work to stay on top. This proves to be invalid because in the future the rich people “seem unintelligent” and are very weak. Without working of thousands of year the rich have lost all that they had because they have not exercised their mind or their body. This idea shows that H.G. Wells sees the wealthy as lazy and unwilling to work hard because they are already on top. It is shown that the wealthy will fall inferior to the working class because of pure indolence. “Humanity had been strong, energetic, and intelligent, and had used all its abundant vitality to alter the conditions under which it lived. And now came the reaction of the altered conditions.”  They working class, however, will strive for excellence and work hard. In the future, the working class becomes the more powerful class and literally eat the “rich.” The “poor” people are more intelligent, stronger, and better adapted to the future then the rich people are. “The upper-world people might once had been the favoured aristocracy, and the Morlocks their mechanical servants: but that had long since passed away. The two species that had resulted from the evolution of man were sliding downwards towards, or had already arrived at and altogether new relationship.” The relationship between the two classes had switched and now the rich feared the poor. The poor now eating the rich represent the poor seeking revenge on the rich for treating them badly and not trying ass the poor worked infinitely harder than the rich. This switch shows how with hard work anything is possible. It takes hard work to evolve and become ahead in the future.  After the time traveler experiences this time period, he travels much farther into the future and experiences a time where animals take over. In the beginning of the book, it is said that humans where going to use animals for their own benefit. However, animals end up on top. This shows how it is believed that animals will adapt better to the future and overcome obstacles better than humans. In the end animals will be more advanced. Animals do not stop working, yet always strive for life. This makes them superior in future because humans have a tendency to stop working when they are on top. Animals will always work for survival and basic necessities, not trying to take the easy way out or get ahead.  In conclusion, //The Time Machine// shows a future much different than most expect. This is because of laziness and productivity. The rich will stop trying and become inferior to the striving poor population. Without hard work and exercise of both the mind and body, evolution will not occur; in fact a decline in intelligence will occur. Those who strive will become smarter and stronger and will be superior. However, in the end animals will end up on top. This is because they do what it takes to stay alive, no more and no less. As mankind advances in years only those who endeavor will move ahead with evolution.