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Post by fleeingfromtripods on Feb 15, 2008 3:03:31 GMT 1
Book 2, Chapter 3, "The Days of Imprisionment"
So, whats up with this? Theres a mention later on in the book, where the Narrator is traveling through Putney,and he mentions evidence of the Heat Ray being used here; I think these two are connected.
Thoughts?
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Post by poyks on Feb 15, 2008 3:55:25 GMT 1
This seems a rather strange question, because within the flow of the novel, it makes perfect sense. It's like randomly opening any book in the middle and trying to make sense of it without the knowledge of the rest of the story.
Anyway, this is one of my favourite parts of the book, just because it's a great mixture of the strangeness of the Martians mixed wonderfully with the beauty of a still clear night.
The time that the Narrator was buried under the collapsed house with the Curate was a great opportunity for prolonged observation of the Martians' habits. The sound of the dog and the distant guns being the only audible signs of terrestrial activity, mixed with the release of black smoke canisters that result in the inevitable silence afterwards, suggests no use of the Heat Ray at all at that time.
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Post by fleeingfromtripods on Feb 15, 2008 5:18:19 GMT 1
What makes you think there is a release of Black Smoke canisters? I took it as being 12 human artillery reports. But where was that happening? It seems to contradict the earlier supposition that all organized resistance ended on the first night the Black Smoke was deployed. I count an artillery barrage as organized resistance. And I actually think it distracts from the flow of the book, because I now spend a hour trying to figure out where the guns were used, why and all that. Of course, I tend to fixate on small deatails in things. Also, don't get me wrong, I still like the book, and it is still one of my favorites.
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Post by Charles on Feb 19, 2008 17:18:04 GMT 1
This happens to be one of my favorite passages of the entire novel. Its this kind of imagery and atmosphere that drew me to Wells in the first place, and elevates his work far above his own view of himself as a sort of novel writing propagandist. Beyond this being a wonderfully atmospheric passage, it may be seen as a foreshadowing of the artilleryman’s idea of resistance - while at the same time reminding us of the futility of attacking the technologically superior Martians. With the fading of these cannons, humanity’s time has passed. With “us” out of the way, the stage is set for the triumph of natural selection – one of the fundamental lessons of the novel.
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