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Allusions
Book 1, Chapter 16: The Exodus from London
Explanation and Analysis—Mrs. and Miss Elphinstone:
Mrs. and Miss Elphinstone are foils for each other. Most obviously, they are visual opposites: Mrs. Elphinstone is characterized by her white clothing, while Miss Elphinstone has dark hair and a darker complexion. They also differ in terms of character: Miss Elphinstone seems competent and clear-headed, whereas the other seems incompetent and prone to panic. For instance, in Book 1, Chapter 16, the narrator describes Miss Elphinstone's "quality":
For the second time that day [Miss Elphinstone] proved her quality. To force their way into the torrent of people, my brother plunged into the traffic and held back a cab-horse, while she drove the pony across its head.
Here, she helps the narrator's brother drive the chaise through throngs of people. She remains brave, noble, and calm despite the chaos around her. The narrator's brother seems to be in charge here, but she provides him with essential aid. At this moment, she almost seems like a soldier stolidly receiving orders.
By contrast, Mrs. Elphinstone seems unreasonable and inept. In Book 1, Chapter 17, the narrator describes her reaction to leaving England:
At the sight of the sea, Mrs Elphinstone, in spite of the assurances of her sister-in-law, gave way to panic. She had never been out of England before, she would rather die than trust herself friendless in a foreign country, and so forth. She seemed, poor woman, to imagine that the French and the Martians might prove very similar. She had been growing increasingly hysterical, fearful, and depressed during the two days’ journeyings.
Mrs. Elphinstone is very childish and unreasonable. The narrator seems scornful of her; he mentions earlier in the story that she "would listen to no reasoning." His scorn for her mirrors his disapproval of the curate, who displays a similar breed of hysteria during the Martian invasion.
Why does this pair of characters matter to the story? The inclusion of Mrs. and Miss Elphinstone does not merely juxtapose visual elements (light and dark) and emotional states (panicked and calm), but it also reveals two types of moral character. Mrs. Elphinstone prefers to rely on others and rarely helps anyone, whereas Miss Elphinstone remains clear-headed and positive enough to fight for her (and her group's) survival. This range of female responses, especially with respect to a strong woman like Miss Elphinstone, gives the women in this story an uncommon and important (if fleeting) sense of identity and individuality.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Chapter 17: The “Thunder Child”
Explanation and Analysis—Mrs. and Miss Elphinstone:
Mrs. and Miss Elphinstone are foils for each other. Most obviously, they are visual opposites: Mrs. Elphinstone is characterized by her white clothing, while Miss Elphinstone has dark hair and a darker complexion. They also differ in terms of character: Miss Elphinstone seems competent and clear-headed, whereas the other seems incompetent and prone to panic. For instance, in Book 1, Chapter 16, the narrator describes Miss Elphinstone's "quality":
For the second time that day [Miss Elphinstone] proved her quality. To force their way into the torrent of people, my brother plunged into the traffic and held back a cab-horse, while she drove the pony across its head.
Here, she helps the narrator's brother drive the chaise through throngs of people. She remains brave, noble, and calm despite the chaos around her. The narrator's brother seems to be in charge here, but she provides him with essential aid. At this moment, she almost seems like a soldier stolidly receiving orders.
By contrast, Mrs. Elphinstone seems unreasonable and inept. In Book 1, Chapter 17, the narrator describes her reaction to leaving England:
At the sight of the sea, Mrs Elphinstone, in spite of the assurances of her sister-in-law, gave way to panic. She had never been out of England before, she would rather die than trust herself friendless in a foreign country, and so forth. She seemed, poor woman, to imagine that the French and the Martians might prove very similar. She had been growing increasingly hysterical, fearful, and depressed during the two days’ journeyings.
Mrs. Elphinstone is very childish and unreasonable. The narrator seems scornful of her; he mentions earlier in the story that she "would listen to no reasoning." His scorn for her mirrors his disapproval of the curate, who displays a similar breed of hysteria during the Martian invasion.
Why does this pair of characters matter to the story? The inclusion of Mrs. and Miss Elphinstone does not merely juxtapose visual elements (light and dark) and emotional states (panicked and calm), but it also reveals two types of moral character. Mrs. Elphinstone prefers to rely on others and rarely helps anyone, whereas Miss Elphinstone remains clear-headed and positive enough to fight for her (and her group's) survival. This range of female responses, especially with respect to a strong woman like Miss Elphinstone, gives the women in this story an uncommon and important (if fleeting) sense of identity and individuality.
Related Themes:
Book 2, Chapter 1: Under Foot
Explanation and Analysis—Curate and Artilleryman:
The curate and artilleryman are foils for each other. The curate is annoying, highly religious, and panicky. The artilleryman is logical, brave, and admired by the narrator. In Book 2, Chapter 1, the narrator describes his attempts to get rid of the curate:
I grew very weary and irritable with the curate’s perpetual ejaculations, I tired of the sight of his selfish despair. After some ineffectual remonstrance I kept away from him, staying in a room – evidently a children’s schoolroom – containing globes, forms, and copy-books. When he followed me thither, I went to a box-room at the top of the house and, in order to be alone with my aching miseries, locked myself in.
The curate often turns to God for an explanation of the Martian invasion; he believes that aliens are "God's ministers." In this passage, the narrator criticizes the curate's "selfish despair," which can also be seen when he stuffs his face with food despite his hypocritical complaints about people not helping those who are starving. Despite the curate's pleas, God does nothing to save humanity. And despite his insistence on others' generosity, he fails to display that very quality. Thus, the curate comes to symbolize a certain crisis of religious faith in The War of the Worlds, a book that champions logic, bravery, and technical skill over religion.
To that end, the artilleryman displays this kind of logic, bravery, and technical skill. In Book 2, Chapter 7, the narrator describes his respect for the artilleryman:
For a while the imaginative daring of the artilleryman, and the tone of assurance and courage he assumed, completely dominated my mind. I believed unhesitatingly both in his forecast of human destiny and in the practicability of his astonishing scheme, and the reader who thinks me susceptible and foolish must contrast his position, reading steadily with all his thoughts about his subject, and mine, crouching fearfully in the bushes and listening, distracted by apprehension.
Shortly after the Martian invasion, the artilleryman devises a theory of how to survive. This passage describes the narrator's awed reaction to hearing this plan; he terms it an "astonishing scheme" that "dominated" his mind. He also seems to be a bit ashamed of his habit of "crouching fearfully in the bushes" while the artilleryman executes his carefully made plans. The narrator, while annoyed by the curate, is entirely enthralled by the artilleryman's intelligence and bravery. The contrast between these characters demonstrates two opposite reactions to the invasion: the curate wants to submit to a higher power, whereas the artilleryman wants to live by logic and independence.
Related Themes:
Book 2, Chapter 7: The Man on Putney Hill
Explanation and Analysis—Curate and Artilleryman:
The curate and artilleryman are foils for each other. The curate is annoying, highly religious, and panicky. The artilleryman is logical, brave, and admired by the narrator. In Book 2, Chapter 1, the narrator describes his attempts to get rid of the curate:
I grew very weary and irritable with the curate’s perpetual ejaculations, I tired of the sight of his selfish despair. After some ineffectual remonstrance I kept away from him, staying in a room – evidently a children’s schoolroom – containing globes, forms, and copy-books. When he followed me thither, I went to a box-room at the top of the house and, in order to be alone with my aching miseries, locked myself in.
The curate often turns to God for an explanation of the Martian invasion; he believes that aliens are "God's ministers." In this passage, the narrator criticizes the curate's "selfish despair," which can also be seen when he stuffs his face with food despite his hypocritical complaints about people not helping those who are starving. Despite the curate's pleas, God does nothing to save humanity. And despite his insistence on others' generosity, he fails to display that very quality. Thus, the curate comes to symbolize a certain crisis of religious faith in The War of the Worlds, a book that champions logic, bravery, and technical skill over religion.
To that end, the artilleryman displays this kind of logic, bravery, and technical skill. In Book 2, Chapter 7, the narrator describes his respect for the artilleryman:
For a while the imaginative daring of the artilleryman, and the tone of assurance and courage he assumed, completely dominated my mind. I believed unhesitatingly both in his forecast of human destiny and in the practicability of his astonishing scheme, and the reader who thinks me susceptible and foolish must contrast his position, reading steadily with all his thoughts about his subject, and mine, crouching fearfully in the bushes and listening, distracted by apprehension.
Shortly after the Martian invasion, the artilleryman devises a theory of how to survive. This passage describes the narrator's awed reaction to hearing this plan; he terms it an "astonishing scheme" that "dominated" his mind. He also seems to be a bit ashamed of his habit of "crouching fearfully in the bushes" while the artilleryman executes his carefully made plans. The narrator, while annoyed by the curate, is entirely enthralled by the artilleryman's intelligence and bravery. The contrast between these characters demonstrates two opposite reactions to the invasion: the curate wants to submit to a higher power, whereas the artilleryman wants to live by logic and independence.
Related Themes:
