“For Marxism, literature does not exist in some timeless, aesthetic realm as an object to be passively contemplated. Rather, like all cultural manifestations, it is a product of the socioeconomic and hence ideological conditions of the time and the place in which it was written, whether or not the author intended it so. Because human beings are themselves products of their socioeconomic and ideological environment, it is assumed that authors cannot help but create works that embody ideology in some form.”
-Tyson, Critical Theory Today.
War of the Worlds, the novel about the Martian invasion on earth is such a work by H.G Wells. Wells was influenced by socialist thoughts as well as the theory of social Darwinism, both of which find abundant references in the novel. But perhaps the most important thread that runs through the entirety of the novel is the Marxian ideal. The novel is much more than an adventure story or a fictional account of an extraterrestrial invasion- it is rather about the struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie thus becoming a metaphor for class warfare. The class division in the novel is not only among the humans but also between the Martians and the humans. The Martians are superior to the humans as they are technologically more advanced and have more resources at their disposal. But all is not lost in the novel for humans as Wells brings about a Utilitarian streak through the character of the narrator’s brother. Just as there is hope for an equal society through revolution of the masses, there is also the hope that goodness will bring about the betterment of the society.
The novel was also a response to the historical events and new inventions that were happening around that time including mar’s orbit bringing it closer to the earth in 1894, the discovery of motion pictures, loudspeakers, electric power and much more. This environment of discovery led Wells to literary invention too like putting tanks, heat rays, chemical and nuclear weapons in his novel. Wells used these and other events such as the unification of Germany, British imperialism, military industrialization and ‘rumblings of a pan-European war’ to write his novel. It was not just Wells but the whole literary world of this time was infatuated with Mars.
Classism is an ideology that equates one’s value as a human being with the social class one belongs to- thus the people at the top of the social ladder are naturally superior while those at the bottom rung are lazy and shiftless (Tyson 62). The top class thus has an inborn tendency and right to rule the lower classes. Wells wrote the novel during the Victorian era, when Britain was the strongest imperial power and had colonies around the world. The novel which talks about an alien (Martian) invasion on London challenged the prevailing notion that the British could rule over others by their own perceived superiority. It is a novel where the invaders get invaded and there is a role reversal. Wells says that, “We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians . . . were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space if fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit? (Wells 5).” Classism is a part of the capitalist theory that convinces men that through hard work they can achieve whatever they want and if people are homeless or do not have the material comforts that they have it is only because they do not work hard enough or because they are lazy. Capitalism thus not only favors a materialistic way of living but also suggests that it is the natural way of thinking of people who subscribe to this ideology. Most successful ideologies are not seen as ideologies but as a natural way of life or seeing the world by people who subscribe to them (Tyson 59). The artilleryman in the novel is a character that brings out Wells’ view on classism. He says, “There won't be any more blessed concerts for a million years or so; there won't be any Royal Academy of Arts, and no nice little feeds at restaurants (Wells 170)." He is a character that believes that the war is going to usher in a new order as the old way of living is over. He is satisfied and happy with it. He also says that the world will be real again. The narrator is not a proletariat like that of the artilleryman and is taken aback with this attitude at first. He is a bourgeoisie and does not understand the life of the artilleryman that makes him say such things. These characters in the novel bring about the nature of the capitalist society and also echo Marx’s hope that in the event of a spontaneous revolution by the masses there would be a change in the societal order. The novel also brings to light the complacency of the imperialist country and the bourgeoisie society which think that the current situation will prevail forever. They are neither worried about the health of the society and the people in it (the lesser mortals) nor do they care about the imminent threat that can come from outside of their country.
Marxian thought says that socioeconomic differences create a divide in people that is much larger and more damaging than the divisions created by religion, race, ethnicity and Gender. It is rather a division between the haves and the have-nots. And regrettably it is the have-nots, the working class or the proletariat that is the last to realize this. They also are the last ones to realize that bringing down this inequality will lead to a social change. Although later Marxists do not subscribe to the view of Marx that there would be a spontaneous revolution where the subjugated masses will rise against their oppressors, it is possible that if the masses vote for the same party, strike till their demands are met and boycott the same products there would be a change in the current power structure (Tyson 57). Marxism advocated an equal and just society and Wells does the same in the novel. The novel War of the World’s also talks about such a difference. The Martians (the haves) are powerful partly due to their advanced technology and try to invade London; the masses unite against the Martians not only to save themselves but also to save the world.
Marxist theory also offers a critique of the capitalistic way of life and Wells too does something similar in his novel. Wells not only criticizes the western society in his novel but also offers the reader a peek into a better British society that is about equality mirroring Marxian ideals. Towards the end of the novel, the narrator who remains nameless throughout says about the invasion that this invasion from Mars has done a lot to bring about a sense of community in mankind. It also brings out the humanity in mankind as the narrator’s brother helps the woman whose pony-chaise is being robbed. The masses flee London as a result of the invasion and through this Wells portray what could be described as the first glimpses of a communist society. He says that the ‘scattered multitudes (Wells 184-85)’ grow hungry and ‘the rights of property cease to be regarded’ (Wells 115). The narrator also goes ahead to describe a group of people called the “committee of public supply”. These people from Chelmsford seize the pony-chaise from the narrator’s brother and his two associates and tell them that they would get nothing in return for it but would only get to share it the next day (Wells 433). There are more examples of this sense of community in the novel. The narrator’s brother describes ‘the most amazing crowd of shipping’; possibly imaginable that came to help the Londoners flee the Martian invasion. He also talks about his brother describing the international aid that was still coming towards London, “across the Channel, across the Irish Sea, across the Atlantic, corn, bread, and meat were tearing to our relief” (Wells 189).
The novel is an attack on not only capitalism but also the consumerist tendencies that capitalism promotes in the human society. A consumerist society makes a human being valuable by how much they own. Self-worth is defined on the basis of material things that are owned by an individual. The narrator says that, “The man was running away with the rest, and selling his papers for a shilling each as he ran—a grotesque mingling of profit and panic (Wells 89). The desire to make money does not leave even when their life is at threat. Wells uses this scene to describe how monetary the society has become under a consumerist and capitalist society. In a capitalist economic system, an object’s value becomes impersonal. Its value is translated into a monetary equivalent. The question becomes, how many people will buy the object, and how much money will they be willing to pay for it? Whether or not people really need the object in question and whether or not it is really worth its assigned price are irrelevant issues (Tyson 62). Although the crisis brings a sense of community in the people, when they return they go back to their normal capitalist mode. When the Londoners return, the narrator provides the reader with a glimpse of capitalism and the need for materialist goods, however irrelevant, that the people display. Already [the streets] were busy with returning people; in places there were shops open At the corner of the bridge, too, I saw one of the common contrasts of that grotesque time – a sheet of paper flaunting against a thicket of red weed, transfixed by a stick that kept it in place. It was the placard of the first newspaper to resume publication, the Daily Mail. I bought a copy for a blackened shilling I found in my pocket. Most of it was in blank, but the solitary composer who did the thing had amused himself by making a grotesque scheme of advertisement stereo on the back page (Wells 191). Even the narrator admits towards the end that he has learnt nothing fresh from it.
The narrator’s brother gets a lot of space in the novel and many chapters in the book are from his point of view. Although the narrator and his brother share similar backgrounds and are undergoing the same crisis, the narrator’s brother comes across as the one doing good. His view is very utilitarian. He considers the good of others as well as his own good. He thus maximizes the overall goodness as the utilitarian ideology suggests. The narrator refuses to help either the artilleryman or the curate while his brother helps the Elphinstone women reach the coast. They in turn also help the brother and save him from the robbers. Wells critiques the imperial British Empire and also the materialistic nature of the society but at the same time he also offers hope for the betterment for man and society. Wells hopes for the common good just as Marx and Engels did. Where there was previously local seclusion and self sufficiency there will be in the future a universal inter-dependence. Through the characters of the narrator, the artilleryman, the curate, the narrator’s brother and the women he saves, Wells brings out not only the materialistic nature of the society but also the hope that helping each other or being good to each other will bring about a betterment of the society.
H.G Wells’, War of the World’s is a novel that was very much influenced by the time he lived in. British imperialism, a possible pan-European war, technological advancements and an interest in Mars have all influenced the author. There are threads of Marxist thought, utilitarianism and hope for a better world running through the novel and Wells brings these thoughts across through the characters. The novel represents the class conflicts and reinforces the class distinctions that are present in a society. The overarching theme thus makes the novel a must read for all times.
Works Cited
Wells.H.Geroge. The War of the Worlds. New York: New York Review of Books. 1960. Print.
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. New York: Routledge. 1998. Print. Pp 56-67.
