ornamental line

The Mental Habits of Those Departed Days



"'And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be'" (54-55).


Points for Reflection

The War of the Worlds (1898), Book 1: chps 1-15

  1. how reliable do the narrator’s physical senses prove as he moves through today’s reading?
  2. what psychological consequences follow hard upon the stresses experienced by the narrator and his British fellows?
  3. in this tale’s opening, Wells’ narrator assigns the Martians both “unsympathetic” intellects and “envious” eyes (1 mid-bot). Does the reading provide any evidence that the Martians experience emotion the same way we do?
  4. in the tale’s opening, Wells’ narrator briefly references “the mental habits of those departed days” prior to the Martians’ advent (1 mid).  To what “mental habits” is he referring?
  5. why might the narrator take the time to explain two ways in which the human eye proves unreliable when looking through a telescope (4)?
  6. why does the narrator distinguish between “rational fear” and “panic terror” when describing his reaction to the Martians as the latter (18)?  What is his point?
  7. does the narrator’s burst of adventuresome combativeness (29 top, 32, mid) make him less, or more sympathetic?
  8. the narrator experiences a bit of delirium during his strange journey along the river (52-53). Is the curate whom he meets more sane than himself?
  9. why does Wells switch from his primary narrator’s perspective to that of the narrator’s brother in chapters fourteen, sixteen, and seventeen?  What does this allow Wells to accomplish?
  10. why does it take so long for Londoners to realize the danger presented by the Martians?
  11. as seven tripods spread themselves out evenly in a large crescent pattern just out of reach of many hidden, British artillery guns, the narrator questions how well the Martians understand the humans’ defensive strategy (67).  What do subsequent events suggest?

The War of the Worlds (1898), Book 1: chps 17-18 & Book 2: chps 1-10

  1. in the narrator’s estimation, what quality is of more value in this new world occupied by the Martians, physical power or mental acumen?
  2. the narrator identifies numerous differences between Martians and humans; does he consider the former species superior to the latter?
  3. does Wells appear to have anticipated any modern forms of technology?
  4. do you agree with the narrator that the curate’s words and actions (109-11) are “half-sane” (109) or, worse, those of a “man insane” (110)?
  5. is the narrator a secular humanist convinced that prayer lacks efficacy?
  6. what elements of traditional human existence appear to have been wiped out, indefinitely, by the Martians?
  7. does sorrow outweigh joy as the narrator contemplates both London’s escape from total annihilation and his personal losses (137-38)?
  8. what causes the cognitive rupture in the narrator’s mind that leads him to wander, raving, for three long days which he now cannot recall?
  9. what argument had our philosopher narrator been developing just prior to the Martians’ arrival (142, 6), and will he be able to easily regain his momentum on this topic?
  10. what benefits does the narrator identify in the Martian invasion, and do they outweigh its negative consequences (144)?
  11. why might Wells refer to “worlds” and not just “England” when generating this tale’s title?


original cover of The War of the Worlds novel
"The War of the Worlds" (Looking Glass Library)
from Literature Out Loud


Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu