War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is a masterpiece that will be remembered for its thrilling speculative view of extraterrestrial life. The scene was set in 19th century England, a time when astronomers peeked an intensified interest in Mars. Notions at the possibility of extraterrestrial life started to gain momentum which intrigued authors and scientific communities. Wells was one of the first authors to publish a story which contemplates the idea that extraterrestrial life are smarter and immensely more developed as a species than humans are. The narrator of Well’s world is a big observer that records even the most intricate details. His story, although impossible, was believable because of how detailed it is. Wells priorities what he wants the reader to visualize throughout his …show more content…
For instance, when the first Martian cylinder forcefully landed in the narrator’s neighborhood, Wells takes time to tell the reader about the house it obliterated as it landed. Why would he do that? Wouldn’t it be easier to visualize something that’s plausible in the real world than something that no one has ever even attempted to visualize before? A ruined house is an idea closer to the real world than a “Martian cylinder” is. The way Wells describes ideas and things is particularly unique in his time. Unlike Verne who answers the question “How does it work?”, Wells answers the question “What does it do to people?” Wells’s thought process is more humanitarian while Verne’s is more technological. This is prevalent when Wells writes about the Martians’ weapons of extermination; weapons that even Wells faced difficulty to explain. The Martians brought “Heat-Rays” with them, equivalent to modern high-intensity lasers used everyday. Wells visualizes the narrator as a refugee who’s traveling to survive with Martian heat rays flying all around