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Study Guide for H. G. Wells: The War of the Worlds
What effect does this comparison of the Martians to the defeated Native Americans have?
Chapter 9: Wreckage
Why does the narrator know nothing of the next three days? How does the rest of the world respond to England's plight. "Corn" is grain, usually wheat. What Americans call "corn" the English call "maize." Why is the narrator so upset by learning that Leatherhead has been destroyed? What technological side-benefit have humans derived from the invasion? Why does he mention the burial of "the landlord of the Spotted Dog?" What is ironic about the paper he finds on his desk? How does this incident reflect changing attitudes about the future of humanity in the late nineteenth century? What effect would it have had on the novel to develop his reunion with his wife more fully, in traditional fashion.
Chapter 10: The Epilogue
Why is it significant that no Martian bacteria were ever discovered? When a planet is "in conjunction" it is on the opposite side of the sun from Earth. Ronald Reagan once mused that an invasion from space might unify humanity, as it does here. What do you think of this theory? What long-term hope does the possibility of travel hold out for humanity, according to the narrator?