The Invisible Man
H.G. Wells (1897)
“A scientist makes himself invisible and discovers that the power to be unseen does not bring freedom — it brings madness, isolation, and a descent into terror.”
Characters in The Invisible Man
by H.G. Wells · 1897 · 4 characters analyzed
Cast: Griffin, Dr. Kemp, Thomas Marvel, Mrs. Hall.
Character Analysis
A brilliant physicist and a moral void. Griffin is not corrupted by invisibility — he is revealed by it. His contempt for others, his willingness to use violence, his grandiose self-image all predate the experiment. Invisibility merely removes the social constraints that kept these qualities in check. He is the novel's argument that power without accountability produces not freedom but madness.
Educated, precise, contemptuous. Uses scientific vocabulary naturally. Addresses everyone with impatience or disdain.