Topic > The Martians in Wells' "The War of the Worlds" and film adaptations: cultural imperialism

The Martians in the book and film The War of the Worlds are a metaphor for the evils of cultural imperialism because their arrival severs the most important media and transportation technologies, challenges religion and leaves identity unclear. The Martians in War of the Worlds can be used as a comparison to imperialism because their invasion caused the loss of major technologies on Earth and altered the way humans viewed God and the identity of their society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The narrator in the book explains that the Martians were "strangling" humanity by exploding "all the dust deposits" and cutting off communications and transportation such as the telegraph and railroads (Wells 83). This specific example is important because it shows that the Martians crippled society not only emotionally but physically. The War of the Worlds provides a great example of how communication and transportation technologies have been taken away and drastically affect people's lives. Worth explains in his article how technology and communication technology are such an important part of imperialism when he states that “communication and transportation technologies are central to the imperial critique contained in the novel” (Worth, 71). While technology is an important part on the human side of survival, Wells makes it clear that it matters both ways when he talks about how the Martians killed so many people quickly and silently because of their heat ray technology, without of it, they would not have accomplished as much as they had done (Wells 18). Martians rely on technology just as much as humans, hence their death in the end, made most apparent in the film due to their lack of a force field. Martians live in gigantic advanced technological machines equipped with terrifying mass-produced weapons. destruction, without it they would not live or attempt to conquer the Earth. Worth delves further into this idea of ​​the Heat Ray when he discusses how Wells uses specific examples in his text to connect the Martians' use of the Heat Ray to the real-life techniques of imperialism, stating that the Heat Ray contributed to “political and social organization” and how it was in a “respective relationship” with the media we see today (Worth 71). In a way, you could say that the Martians exploit human technology to overwhelm them with their own technology. It is worth saying that the reader can compare the Martian uses of invasion to the techniques of imperialism in the 21st century. Although people may think that the airing time of the radio adaptation of the novel was a coincidence, Mollmann brings this real-time comparison to the novel to the forefront in his article when he discusses how the radio broadcast based on the book was specifically transmitted. at a time of real-life threat “from Nazi Germany” and how the film adaptation can easily be associated with “invading Martians” and “Soviet Russia and Communism” (Mollmann 407). There are many other ways to compare the Martians actions towards humans and towards real life in and out of the book. An example of this is that the novel's narrator himself compares the Martian machines to human machines and the Martians' progress on Earth to humans and animals when he says "I began to compare things to human machines, to wonder for the first time in the my life as a battleship or a would appearsteam engine to an intelligent lower animal” (Wells 38). Although not intended to be this, Worth makes a good metaphor for the Internet and the World Wide Web when he discusses how Martians are an “expansionist cliché” like an “octopus…with extensive communications networks” (Worth 72). Throughout the article, Mollmann specifically compares the Martians to the English, but at one point he goes back to the entire novel and discusses overall imperialism when he says that the novel is "a warning against the dangers of imperialism" and thus arrives in depth to make a very specific comparison when he says that “The Martians are the same as the British” (Mollmann 407). Although Mollmann briefly discusses the novel's use of imperialism and its comparisons to the English, he soon after states that one important specific adaptation discussed throughout the article, Fighter from Mars, deemphasizes “the emphasis on imperialism” which is not agree with Worth (Mollmann 407 ). The Martians' invasion tactics can be closely compared to real-life imperialism and times of war, when communications are cut before a country or group invades. This comparison really shows how communication is an important part of society, and when it is disrupted, it greatly harms a nation and leaves it vulnerable to attack. The curate in the book War of the Worlds is easily seen as a metaphor for God and is a strange character in many ways. The Curate can also be seen as a metaphor for the Martians because of his extreme beliefs and the extreme actions of the Martians, and it is known that the Martians do not sleep at all and the Curate barely sleeps due to his anxiety. The curate is also physically described by our narrator as having large eyes and a receding chin (Wells 53-54). Martians are described as having no chins and large eyes (Wells 111-112). One of the reasons why the curate is so important is because the element of cultural imperialism in the book plays a bigger role in religion, whether it's how people's opinions change or how it can be compared to cultural imperialism today. The curate often says things comparing Martians to God, such as when he says that Martians are “ministers of God” (Wells 55). Reading the book 50-100 years after its publication may confuse the reader as to how important this aspect of God is because 50-100 years ago, or when the story takes place, religion ruled the world. Science ranked much lower than religion and scientists were often shunned or even killed for their discoveries, including Charles Darwin who was shunned. The reason this is so important is because during the time of the novel it was not believed that aliens could exist, meaning everyone was even more surprised than a 21st century reader could imagine. This is related to the curate because the curate is the example of how people would react to the attack. This reaction mostly includes saying that God is punishing them, rather than thinking that the Martians needed more resources and a place to live, as the novel's narrator thinks. The curate's ideals are summed up when he says: "It is right, O God!" he said, over and over. "It is right. Upon me and mine be the punishment inflicted. We have sinned, we have failed. There was poverty, sorrow; the poor were trampled into the dust and I remained silent. I preached acceptable folly - my God, who madness – when I should have stood up, even if I had died for it, and called on them to repent – ​​repent […] Oppressors of the poor and needy… God's winepress! (Pozzi 110). , shows a nice variety of reactions compared to the gunner and the calm and intelligent narrator The curate questions people's actions and then.