Iping Symbol in The Invisible Man

Iping is a real village in West Sussex, in the English countryside. After turning himself invisible and leaving London, Griffin travels to Iping in hopes of isolating himself and focusing on his work. In contrast to the business, affluence, pollution, and anonymity that characterize life in life in London, Iping is quiet, rural, and provincial. The villagers are relatively poor and uneducated, and Griffin has a disdainful view of them, calling them “fools.” On one level, the novel’s portrayal of Iping is not entirely positive. For example, Iping is shown to be a place dominated by gossip and superstition. On the other hand, the residents of Iping embody values that have arguably been lost in the transition to modern, secular, urban life. Residents of the village look out for and take care of each other; there is an atmosphere of communal unity, with everyone feeling a sense of responsibility for everyone else. There is a contrast between this communality and Griffin’s self-imposed isolation. Echoing Doctor Kemp’s advice to Griffin, the novel suggests that acting as a “lone wolf” is not the right way to have a successful or happy life. Griffin may be poor and provincial, but it is also shown to have important good qualities, representing the value of the past and rural life that is often scorned by those looking only towards the future and urbanity.

Iping Quotes in The Invisible Man

The The Invisible Man quotes below all refer to the symbol of Iping. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Freedom, Anonymity, and Immorality Theme Icon

After the first gusty panic had spent itself Iping became argumentative. Scepticism suddenly reared its head,—rather nervous skepticism, not at all assured of its back, but skepticism nevertheless. It is so much easier not to believe in an invisible man; and those who had actually seen him dissolve into air, or felt the strength of his arm, could be counted on the fingers of two hands. And of these witnesses Mr. Wadgers was presently missing, having retired impregnably behind the bolts and bars of his own house, and Jaffers was lying stunned in the parlour of the Coach and Horses. Great and strange ideas transcending experience often have less effect upon men and women than smaller, more tangible considerations.

Related Characters: Griffin/The Invisible Man , Sandy Wadgers

Related Symbols: Iping

Page Number and Citation: 137

Explanation and Analysis:

Iping Symbol Timeline in The Invisible Man

The timeline below shows where the symbol Iping appears in The Invisible Man. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...thrilled that he is there, as it is very rare for visitors to come to Iping during winter. She leaves the room to get plates and glasses and when she returns... (full context)

...“experimental investigator” and that his equipment is inside his luggage. He says he came to Iping for solitude, and hopes that he will be able to carry out his work in... (full context)

On February 10, the day after Griffin arrived in Iping, Fearenside, the carrier, brings Griffin’s “remarkable” luggage to the inn in his cart. The luggage... (full context)

Later, Fearenside and Henfrey sit in Iping’s local beershop. Fearenside admits that when he saw the tear in Griffin’s trousers, he did... (full context)

While Griffin’s arrival in Iping was marked by strange incidents, from that point on his stay at the Coach and... (full context)

...clothes. His odd appearance startles the villagers. He quickly becomes the subject of gossip in Iping. There is much discussion of his job; Mrs. Hall loves to explain that he is... (full context)

...not usually superstitious, yet after some incidents in early April some of the women in Iping begin to entertain thoughts of “the supernatural.” Although there are many different theories about Griffin... (full context)

On Whit Monday, the day dedicated to “the Club festivities” in Iping, the vicarage is burgled. Mrs. Bunting wakes up in the early hours of the morning... (full context)

...smashing bottles. A group of “scared but curious people” descend on the inn, while in Iping people prepare the village for Whit Monday. Griffin remains shut up in the parlor, which... (full context)

...but that doesn’t mean he should be “poked to pieces by every stupid bumpkin in Iping.” (full context)

Gibbins, an “amateur naturalist” who lives in Iping, hears a man coughing, sneezing, and swearing but sees nothing there. Gibbins has not yet... (full context)

Now that the initial panic in Iping is over, people in the village start arguing. Many are skeptical that Griffin is actually... (full context)

At 4 pm a stranger arrives in Iping—Thomas Marvel. He heads straight for the Coach and Horses, looking agitated. Inside, he tries to... (full context)

...house belonging to another woman. He cuts the telegraph wire, and then disappears. Everyone in Iping is too frightened to come out of their houses for two hours. (full context)

By evening, people begin to tentatively return to the streets of Iping. Thomas Marvel walks “painfully” along the path to Bramblehurst. He is still carrying the three... (full context)

...is in the article. The mariner tells him that the Invisible Man is supposedly in Iping. (full context)

...which recounts the events of Whit Monday. Marvel asks if the Invisible Man returned to Iping after the carnage he caused, and the mariner replies he didn’t. The mariner adds that... (full context)

...man to be invisible. Kemp reads the newspaper article about the Invisible Man’s activities in Iping. He then picks up a different newspaper, which he believes will give him “the truth.”... (full context)

Kemp asks how Griffin got to Iping, and Griffin explains that he went there to work. He recalls the snowy day when... (full context)

The Invisible Man

H. G. Wells

Iping Symbol Analysis

Iping Quotes in The Invisible Man

Iping Symbol Timeline in The Invisible Man