The Invisible Man and its Relevance to Important Issues that We Face in the World Today

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Subject
Date
The Invisible Man
Wells’ The Invisible Man is a science fiction masterpiece that chronicles a fascinating story about a scientist named Griffin who renders himself invisible with a serum. He has preoccupied himself with optics research to discover how to alter a body’s refractive index to make it invisible (Wells 58). He, however, succeeds in his experiment but fails to reverse it. Consequently, he becomes a candidate for erratic and irresponsible violence (Wells 93). The Invisible Man depicts an inherent conflict between an individual and society. It underpins a discussion on power, morality, wealth, and how one behaves when possessing great power and wealth in society. Wells combines mundane realism with fantastical science in a fascinating plot and powerful prose to critique humanity through the metaphorical concept of invisibility. Therefore, The Invisible Man addresses various social constructs affecting our society through science fiction, making it more relevant today.
The Invisible Man illustrates how freedom of power can corrupt individuals’ minds and make them immoral to execute nefarious acts against humanity. Griffin achieves power and privilege when he renders himself invisible in the experiment. In a confession to Dr. Kemp, the protagonist admits that he was already contemplating that he now had the impunity to execute after becoming invisible (Wells 67). He subsequently burgles shops in Iping and London (Wells 43), murders Mr. Wicksteed, and shoots a policeman (Wells 93). Ultimately, the protagonist has turned rogue, committing immoral acts against humanity because of the lack of consequences for his deeds. In a similar case, we have experienced numerous atrocities committed against citizens by despotic leaders who are not held responsible for their actions. Rohingya Muslims face a near extinction due to persistent persecution because of their religious and political stand that negate the current leader’s viewpoints. China’s Xi Jinping is an all-powerful leader that no one criticizes him or his regime without dire consequences. The recent case of the tennis star Peng Shuai, who went missing mysteriously after accusing a former Chinese government senior official of sexual assault, depicts the accurate picture of untamed power that corrupts the mind. It is a classic scenario of Griffin’s invisibility since, just like the protagonist’s lack of accountability for his actions, the Chinese government is all-powerful and treats its citizens as mere subjects and not respected human beings.
The story reflects humans and science in relation to nature. Undoubtedly, much has been achieved in human development through science in the recent past and how we relate with nature. Even though most of the achievements have been beneficial, some pose risks to humans’ psychological, social, and mental health and even distraction of nature through global warming. Griffin explores and discovers the strengths of science in altering nature and human behavior. He successfully turns himse...