CRITIQUE OF ETHICAL DEGRADATION IN WELLS'S THE INVISIBLE MAN

Abstract

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells portrays ethical degeneracy of The Invisible Man because of his own fault of discovering invisibility caused by pseudo- science. It moves around Griffin, the protagonist of having great desire to make him invisible via obscure scientific power. But, his invisibility makes him absolutely extraordinary, unusual, unsociable, alienated, unrealistic and inhuman character evading him from entire mass of Iping village. Furthermore, he becomes means of terror and creates more violence in English society going beyond ethical and moral contemplations. First, Griffin isolates himself from humanity because he wants to make all the glory of his discoveries. Later, he drives himself to isolation by a fear of discovery and compelled to be mad by the effects of his self-imposed isolation. Griffin's invention is a terrible impossibility that the pursuit dedicated to improving the human condition bears the greatest potential to destroy humanity. He uses science without considering humanity that causes his own disaster portraying him as immoral scientist and makes him as a figure of sympathy and mystery. His discovery of invisibility represents him as an antisocial personality leading English society into a reign of terror as well as disobeying ethics of modern science and technology.