Griffin/The Invisible Man

Griffin is a college-educated scientist. He has a condition called albinism, resulting from an absence of pigment in the skin and hair. Distress over his uncommonly pale skin prompts him to research a serum that can turn something from white to translucent—and then invisible. He is brilliant, but his scientific success awakens his darkest qualities. He is arrogant and antisocial, maligning England as “a beast of a country [...] and pigs for people” (41). His newfound powers of invisibility are intoxicating, and almost immediately he begins devising ways to abuse his power for personal gain at others’ expense. Life as an invisible man proves more inconvenient than expected, so he attempts to reverse the invisibility, but the reversal fails. Enraged, and driven by an insatiable lust for power, he turns to violence and murder. Eventually, he is consumed by the idea of total, despotic control. His character arc is defined by the transformation from an ordinary man to an extraordinary monster, and his moral decay illustrates the perils of the individual dissociated from all social ethic.

Dr. Kemp

A <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/foil-in-literature-definition-examples/">foil</a> to Griffin, Dr. Kemp has a strong ethic which he maintains even in the face of threat and temptation.

Mr. Thomas Marvel

Mrs. Hall

Literary Area of Study

British Literature

Values & Ideas

Challenging Authority

Social Issues

Class

Society

Good & Evil

Power

Humanities

Religion & Spirituality

Natural World

Science & Nature

Victorian Literature

Literary Movement

Victorian Literature / Period

H. G. Wells

Adult

Novella

Fiction

Guide

Study Guide

Book Brief

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About The Invisible Man

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The Invisible Man Summary and Study Guide

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

The Invisible Man Chapters 1-6 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 7-10

The Invisible Man Chapters 7-10 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 11-15

The Invisible Man Chapters 11-15 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 16-20

The Invisible Man Chapters 16-20 Summary & Analysis

Chapter 21-Epilogue

The Invisible Man Chapter 21-Epilogue Summary & Analysis

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Character Analysis

The Invisible Man Character Analysis

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Themes

The Invisible Man Themes

Symbols & Motifs

The Invisible Man Symbols & Motifs

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Important Quotes

The Invisible Man Important Quotes with Page Numbers

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The Invisible Man

Character Analysis

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