H.G. Wells

H G Wells' novel 'The War of the Worlds' successfully creates a thrilling climate of terror which often reflects Victorian insecurities by using a number of different techniques. Victorian times were not the strongest, living conditions were appalling for the poor in the Victorian era, there were a lot of sweatshops around, and the poor were just treated like vermin. This was highlighted in many novels at the time, and Wells was just one of those authors, with Dickens and Brontл at their most popular.

With a range of conflicts, including those of the rich and the poor; the country folk and the townsfolk; and even men and women, there were great divisions in society at the time. Wells highlighted these divisions in his text, by comparing the humans to 'the Tasmanians, (who) in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination' and the aliens to the exterminators, as to who 'the creatures who inhabit this earth, must e to them at least as alien and lowly as the monkeys and lemurs' to the humans. He even subtly uses the title to symbolise the divisions as a war.

Whilst under control of the Martians, the Earth descends into a chaotic mess which reflects the almost lawless Victorian society, and the artillery man and the narrator claiming pieces of land shows just how carefree and uncaring the times were for their society and environment. The ignorance of the Victorians were also shown by making them realise that they were not as safe in their own life as they thought they were, not just from outer space, but from within.

Another conflict at the time was between science and religion, and Wells was unsure of religion and this was conveyed in the insecureness of the curate in the second book. He also showed his opinions that people putting their life in the hands of God was not a necessarily good idea, as although the curate had God, he still went mad and just depending on God sent him mad and drove him to his death.

The irony of the Martians not being prepared for something as simple for humans as the common cold, which ultimately led to their death, showed that everything can be broken down and gave people hope that the social barriers in life could and would be broken down eventually, and inspired by this as well as a variety of other factors, democracy; feminism; unionization of workers; socialism; and