The Invisible Man

I am still in my cycle of dystopian books, but « The invisible man » by H. G. Wells is not about a dystopia. It just came with the version of “The time machine” I have bought so I figured I’ll just read it right now.
I’ll make it a short entry though. I’ll make it a short entry though. It has the same background as “The time machine” and was written at the end of the 19th century. As seen with today’s eyes, it can be seen as yet another invisible man story, but it could be the first invisible man story.

The fact that the man is invisible is certainly important, and was an innovation in itself when the novel was written, but it’s not the most important point of the story. The way I felt it, the story is more about acceptation and racism than about the scientific experimentation.
First he thought being invisible would only have benefits, but when one is naked, London is rather cold... So he tries to blend in, disguises himself and tries to resume his research to become visible again. The twist is that in order not to arouse suspicion, he doesn’t mix with people and people can sense that he is different. They try to reveal him, and he resists; his difference cannot be accepted by others and he can only find relief in vengeance.
To me, it is a classical story of racism and hatred, and the “invisible man” could have been replaced by the “stranger” in the novel to no great difference.

Next in the list of dystopian novels is 1984. I’ve already read it several years ago, but I am ashamed to say that I remember very little of it; which definitely proves the usefulness of this blog ;)