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War of The Worlds
H.G Wells was born into a low middle class family. He lived a typical life and attended some of the best schools in the area. His mother and father showed him love as a child and supported him in his writing career. How then did he become so pessimistic? Also, why did he express these emotions in his book War of the Worlds? Many people believe H.G Wells’ pessimistic views about nature and the future are due to struggles in his childhood, his struggles with relationships, and beliefs that were planted in him or developed due to other people.
“ At the age of 14, H.G Wells became his father’s apprentice at a drapery shop” (Britannica). Wells’ father needed his son to help him overcome the family’s financial losses. During those years, Wells broke his leg in four different places, and he came to a conclusion that nature plays evil tricks on certain people. He gave up on writing after his first novel was not published and decided to go to college to study biology. “When a hemorrhage threatened his life, he decided to try writing again before an early death came upon him.”(Britannica) Wells’ soon after wrote The Time Machine, his first successful novel. He went on to write War of the Worlds. In the novel the main target of the future’s destruction are soldiers and scientists. H.G Wells believed that both society and nature targeted the best people. He felt that only people with authority could be targets for criticism and hatred. In War of the Worlds, the narrator explains that his faith in God is what keeps him from dying. He must survive in a cellar for days without food or water. When he finally goes outside, the Martians are gone. He goes to London and finds all of the Martians destroyed by bacteria. This clarifies H.G Wells’ idea that those who live good, non-violent lives will not be open to harm. “After the success of War of the Worlds, he retired and became a full time journalist.” (Britannica)
Through out H.G Wells’ life, his relationships were not successful. Due to his shyness, Wells did not have many friends in school. When he was 19 years old he unknowingly married his cousin, Isabel, and they had a son. Then he married one of his pupils, but their relationship was a distant one. In War of the Worlds the main character and wife are forced to separate for a long time due to the Martian invasion. The man feels like he has a relationship with his wife and does not know if she is alive. He is unable to return to her until after the Martians die. Even then, he is unaware of his existence. Wells strongly believed that it was impossible for some to keep a strong relationship, himself included. He also had a terrible time with keeping friendships as well. An example of this is when Wells’ got in an argument with his partner [next page]