SUMMARY
This article focuses on Footprints without feet summary. The author of the story is Herbert George Wells. This is an interesting story about a scientist named Griffin and his rare formula of invisibility. He developed a drug which made his body invisible, but he can be only felt physically. Then, he misuses his power to steal money, clothes, and food. He found it difficult to stay in London with such power so decides to move to a small village Iping. In the village, people were sceptical about him and look at him strangely. A series of incidences happened in the inn where he stayed. As his money exhausted he again started stealing it from people and hit the owners of the inn when they suspected him. But lastly, he has to reveal his identity to the people, but nobody catches him as he becomes invisible. This is quite an interesting story about a scientist named Griffin. He had been finding ways that could make a man invisible. He got success in his experiment a developed a formula with which he can become invisible, but can be touched and felt physically. Griffin gulped the drug and became invisible. He accidentally stepped in mud and was first seen by two young men who followed his footprints till it becomes faint. He was walking on roads and was feeling cold, so he enters a shopping centre to feel warm. After the stores shut down, he chooses to wear some comfortable garments and eat something. He initially unpacks a couple of garments and wears them. At that point from the kitchen of a café, he eats cold meat and some espresso. Later he decided to sleep on a heap of quilts in a store. The next morning before he wakes up some store associates had seen started following him. He removed all the clothes instantly and became invisible once again. Now he is wandering without clothes in chilly winters of London. He then decides to take clothes from a theatre company as he was sure he will get something there to cover his face too. He has stolen dull glasses, bogus nose, and a hat and some bandages for covering his face. Then, he goes to a shopkeeper’s place and stole all his money. Soon he realizes London is quite a busy place to live like this, so he thought of moving to the Iping village. He booked two rooms in a hotel in the village and reached there. It is quite unusual for the villagers that an outsider with such a peculiar appearance has come to stay at a hotel throughout winter. After some time, his money exhausted, and he started stealing from people. Furthermore, he hit the owner and his wife when they attempt to check his room in his absence. As they cannot see anyone the owners thought there were spirits in the inn and that unusual guest is responsible for it. At that point, the town constable is requested to inquire in regard to what his identity is and what he did to her furnishings. This made him annoy and decides to show his identity as a headless man. They cannot catch hold of Griffin as he takes off all his garments and become invisible. The story tells us the human nature of misusing their own discoveries.
Character Sketch of Griffin: The Invisible Man (Griffin) is given many names in the novel. At first he is the Stranger who arrives at Iping, then he is the Voice that startles everybody. However, his real name is Griffin. Though he is the protagonist of the story, all his deeds are more like that of an antagonist. Griffin is an eccentric scientist. He was very gifted but used his mind in a sinister way. He devised an experiment to become invisible and then started looting and murdering whoever came in his way. Griffin is a gifted young university medical student with albinism, who studies optical density. He believes he is on the verge of a great scientific discovery. Working reclusively in his flat, he invents a formula to bend light and reduce the refractive index of physical objects, making them invisible. He experiments on himself and makes himself invisible. Griffin is very irritable and impatient. He loses his temper over petty things and starts hurting others. He has lost his conscience and doesn’t feel sorry even after his burglary led to his father’s death. Although Griffin is lonely and seems to have been misunderstood from time to time, he fails to gain sympathy due to his murderous rage and evil ways.
Character Sketch of Mrs. Hall: Mrs. Hall is the owner of the inn. She is friendly, simple down to earth. The first impression that she creates presents her in an unpleasant light. She rents the inn to a stranger without bothering about his credentials simply because he projects himself as a rich customer. At this point, she appears to be an opportunist and money minded woman. She loves and enjoys talking to her guests. However, the manner in which she puts up with the rude behavior of Griffin shows that she was actually a very polite hostess who took her duty seriously. She goes out her way to make her guest comfortable. Her courteous behavior and her hospitality win the appreciation of the readers. Mrs. Hall is quite perturbed by the behavior of the stranger. She does not know what to do with his ill temper. But her polite temperament not make her weak in any way. When Griffin crosses all limits of etiquettes, Mrs. Hall firmly puts her foot down. She doesn’t take a strong hand when she refuses to offer any help till she had received her dues. She stands up courageously against arrogant Griffin. She charts her way without letting even her husband influence her. Mrs. Hall can thus be considered as an independent business woman who is capable of taking her decisions without any support or assistance from others.
Read the extracts, given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1. “Soon, with shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, he became a fully dressed visible person”. (a) Where was this man getting dressed?
(b) Explain ‘fully dressed and visible person’.
(c) Name the person, the speaker is talking about?
(d) How did the invisible man first become visible?
Ans.
(a) In a big London store.
(b) The invisible man became visible when fully dressed.
(c) Griffin
(d) He became visible when he dressed with warm clothes, an overcoat, shoes and wide-brimmed hat inside the London store.
2. The village constable was secretly sent for. Instead of waiting for the constable, Mrs Hall went to the scientist, who had somehow mysteriously appeared from his empty bedroom.
(a) Who sent for the village constable and why?
(b) Who troubled the lady?
(c) Find a word from the extract which means same as ‘strangely’
(d) Why do you think Griffin brilliant but not a true scientist?
Ans.
(a) Mrs Hall sent for the village constable as her tenant was suspected of burglary.
(b) She was troubled by her furniture that had come ‘alive’.
(c) Mysteriously.
(d) A true scientist uses his inventions for the good of humanity while Griffin uses it for selfish motives.
3. This time he decided to try the stock of a theatrical company in the hope of finding not only clothes but also something that would hide the empty space above his shoulders. Shivering with cold he hurried to Drury Lane, the centre of the theatre world.
(a) Who is ‘he’ in the above extract?
(b) What was his decision?
(c) What was his main purpose?
(d) What was the centre of the theatre world in London?
Ans.
(a) Griffin
(b) He decided to steal clothes from a theatrical company.
(c) He wanted to protect himself from cold.
(d) Drury Lane was the centre of the theatre world.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Griffin discovered a medicine that could make his body _____.
(A) large
(B) small
(C) invisible
(D) all
Ans. (C) invisible
2. Whose house did Griffin set on fire?
(A) the landlord
(B) the clergyman
(C) Mrs Hall
(D) the shopkeeper
Ans. (A) the landlord
3. Griffin swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as _____ as a sheet of glass.
(A) shining
(B) thin
(C) transparent
(D) thick
Ans. (C) transparent
4. What type of man was Griffin?
(A) brilliant scientist
(B) lawless person
(C) both (A) and (B)
(D) none of the above
Ans. (C) both (A) and (B)
5. Who were following the muddy footprints?
(A) the landlord
(B) two girls
(C) Mr and Mrs Hall
(D) two boys
Ans. (D) two boys
6. Griffin left his muddy footprints on the steps of a house in the middle of _____.
(A) London
(B) Paris
(C) Moscow
(D) Iping Ans.
Ans. (A) London
7. Why was it a bad time to wander about in London without clothes?
(A) it was a rainy season
(B) it was very hot
(C) it was bitterly cold
(D) none of the above
Ans. (C) it was bitterly cold
8. For what did Griffin enter the big London store?
(A) for coldness
(B) for warmth
(C) for money
(D) all of the above
Ans. (B) for warmth
9. What did Griffin do in the big London store?
(A) he wore shoes
(B) he wore an overcoat
(C) he ate cold meat and sweets
(D) all of the above
Ans. (D) all of the above
10. How did Griffin escape from the assistants?
(A) by running hard
(B) by removing his newly worn clothes
(C) by hitting the assistants
(D) by hiding in a shed
Ans. (B) by removing his newly worn clothes
11. The shop of the theatrical company was situated at:
(A) Drury Lane
(B) London Lane
(C) Iping Lane
(D) Griffin Lane
Ans. (A) Drury Lane
12. Who did Griffin attack and rob all the money?
(A) the landlord
(B) the assistants of the London store
(C) the owner of the big London store
(D) the owner of the theatrical company
Ans. (D) the owner of the theatrical company
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
1. How and why did a brilliant scientist like Griffin degenerate into a lawless and homeless wanderer?
Ans. There can’t be any doubt that Griffin was a brilliant scientist. After all, the man who discovered invisibility of the human body couldn’t be an ordinary person. But he misused the discovery. He utilised it for his petty interests. He indulged in petty thefts, burglaries and beatings of innocent persons. He made illegal and unlawful entries in stores and shops only to feed and dress without paying anything. All these illegal activities made him a lawless person and an anarchist.
2. Describe the burglary committed very early morning at a clergyman’s house in Iping.
Ans. A clergyman and his wife were awakened by the noises in the study. When they came downstairs, they heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk. He flung open the door and cried, “Surrender!” They were surprised to realise that the room was empty. The desk was open and money missing. They looked under the desk, behind the curtains and even up the chimney. They found nobody anywhere. The poor couple couldn’t realise that the invisible man, Griffin, decamped unseen with the money.
3. Why did no one know where to lay hands on Griffin during the encounter of the invisible man with the constable, Mr Jaffers?
Ans. Mr Jaffers was informed and he arrived to arrest Griffin. He was quite surprised to find that he had to arrest a man without a head. The policeman ran to get hold of a man who was throwing off one garment after another. At last, Griffin became invisible when he threw off his shirt finally in the air. The constable was struggling to arrest him. Those who came to Jaffer’s help were hit by blows that came from nowhere. Jaffers was knocked down unconscious. Griffin had shaken himself free and no one knew where to lay hands on him.
Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:
1. Give a character-sketch of Griffin. Why did his discovery of invisibility make the brilliant scientist a lawless person who brought sufferings to himself and the people around him?
Ans. No doubt, Griffin was a brilliant and competent scientist. He discovered that the human body could become invisible and transparent as a sheet of glass. It was the result of his long and constant experimentation. However, he misused his discovery only for his personal gains, committing theft and burglaries and beating and robbing innocent persons. He could have earned fame and respect had he utilised his great discovery for the welfare of humanity. But activities made him a lawless person and an anarchist. Griffin proved how the misuse of science and its great discoveries can be misused. An eccentric scientist can degenerate himself into a lawless anarchist. He can become devilish and a disaster for himself and society. Lawlessness and anarchist behaviour make him a homeless wanderer, without clothes and money. He has to remain without clothes even in the chilly weather of mid-winter to remain invisible. He has to make illegal entries and burglaries in a clergyman’s house, a big store in London and a shop in Drury Lane. This brings him to disrepute and dishonour instead of fame and respect.
2. Why was the arrival of the stranger in a village in an unusual event? Give two reasons.
Ans. Griffin was a scientist. He reached the village inn in winter. He was a stranger in that village. It was not a proper time to visit the village. People did not come here in winter. So the event was unusual. Secondly, Griffin looked very strange. He was wearing dark glasses, a false nose and a big hat. His forehead was covered with bandages. He did not talk to anyone in the village. He said that he wanted to live alone. He asked Mrs Hall not to disturb him. The people of the village were attracted towards his strange appearance and habits. Thus, his coming to the village was an unusual event. 3. Describe Griffin’s adventures in a London store? Ans. Griffin set fire to his landlord’s house. Then he took a drug and became invisible. But he had to remove his clothes. It was the middle of winter. The air was very cold. He reached a London store. Before the closing time, he entered the store. After some time, the store was closed. Now he was free. He broke open boxes and wrappers. He took out some clothes and wore them. He was feeling hungry. So he went into the kitchen. He ate cold meat and drank coffee. Then he lay on a pile of quilts. The next morning, he did not get up in time. The shop assistants reached. They found Griffin sleeping on quilts. He woke up and tried to run away. The servants ran after him. Griffin again took off his clothes one by one. He became invisible once again. Thus, he was able to save himself.
