The Martian invasion trope was introduced into the world of science fiction in the 1800s with Herbert George Wells at the helm. War of the Worlds tells the horrific story of a man who survives a deadly invasion on earth, witnessing the destruction of society as he knew it. When Martians first landed on Earth, humans underestimated the powers of these crude-looking creatures. Civilians are initially intrigued by the alien artifacts sent to earth, and once it becomes clear that the aliens will not arrive peacefully, many still cling to the idea that human strength can overwhelm the primitive aliens. The novel follows the drastic fall of humanity in a short space of time, and once the inhabitants of the earth have managed to come to terms with their weaknesses, the Martians have already taken a formidable advantage. Many modes and styles of ego come into play throughout the story, and all are vital to the staggering control the Martians gain. In the end, the man is defeated not only by the strange visitors but by himself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the novel, a "meteor" falls from the sky near the narrator's house, and he and other civilians discover the strange cylinder. The human inhabitants of the city he lives in are taken aback by what they call "a shooting star", yet there is no trace of fear among them, simply an excited curiosity. "There were four or five boys, sitting on the edge of the pit, with their feet dangling, and they were having fun - until I stopped them - throwing stones at the gigantic mass." (HG Wells 272) The bystanders see no reason to fear this strange meteorite and even go so far as to play with it as if it were a toy. New events like this in the twenty-first century are often greeted with fear due to the knowledge of what could happen. But it doesn't occur to the inhabitants of this town that they would be unprepared for the events that follow. They have complete confidence in their military and scientific achievements, so much so that they don't even feel the need to ask for help. When this amount of trust is ingrained in a person's mind, feeling confident is not a conscious choice. Instead it is automatic. The ego of man's achievements creates an instant fearlessness of Martian cylinders. Therefore, no action is taken and people are unprepared for what happens. As the day progresses, the strange cylinder opens and the Martians reveal themselves. The protagonist is as stunned as his neighbors, but it's not the fear of danger, it's the fear of the unknown. Fear disappears as suddenly as it came because Martians are so different from the human idea of danger. To us, a threat is a human-like creature with advancements or mutations, such as a vampire, werewolf, or other monster of that nature that clearly resembles a person. However the Martians are shown as something else. The narrator describes: “A large grayish, rounded mass, the size, perhaps, of a bear, was slowly and painfully rising from the cylinder… Two large, dark-colored eyes stared steadily at me. The mass that framed them, the thing's head, was round and had, one might say, a face. There was a mouth beneath the eyes, the lipless rim of which quivered and panted and oozed saliva. (Wells 276) Martians are quite different from all humans, and so, even if there is a momentary fear, it is of what is different, not of a threat. The spectators of the Martians do not exclaim out of fear, but rather insult the appearance of the aliens, one of whom states:,.
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