The war of the worlds
H. G. Wells
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
The cylinder
How does Wells make the arrival of the Martians feel both ordinary and terrifying?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the curious crowd on Horsell Common?
- Why does no one take the danger seriously at first?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
How does Wells make the arrival of the Martians feel both ordinary and terrifying?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the curious crowd on Horsell Common?
- Why does no one take the danger seriously at first?
Why do you think Wells made the Martians so alien and so unemotional?
Keep the conversation going
- What does their treatment of humans say about how humans treat other creatures?
- How did the opening comparison with the extinction of the Tasmanians strike you?
How does society break down as the Martians advance on London?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the brother's flight to the coast?
- Who behaves well under that pressure, and who doesn't?
Why does the narrator come to despise the curate?
Keep the conversation going
- Is the narrator's treatment of him justified?
- What does the curate's despair say about faith?
What did you make of the artilleryman's plans for living underground?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does the narrator leave him?
- Is his vision brave, foolish, or something worse?
What does the red weed spreading across England suggest?
Keep the conversation going
- How does the landscape itself become part of the invasion?
- What happens to the weed in the end?
How did you feel about the Martians being defeated by bacteria, not by humans?
Keep the conversation going
- What is Wells saying about human pride?
- Is the ending a relief or a warning?
How has the war changed the narrator and his world?
Keep the conversation going
- What does it mean to him to walk through the empty London?
- Do you think people learn from the invasion?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.