What are some themes of the War of the Worlds?

Question

by h.g. wells

Answer 1

On the surface: Alien invasion, evolution and the possible eradication of human life on Earth.

Subtext: Man's struggle to survive when no longer the dominant life-form, the senselessness of religeon (as demonstrated with the parson), the threat of war, the importance of even the most basic forms of life on Earth (after all the efforts of man, the Marians are killed by disease-spreading bacteria that we have, through evolution, become immune to).

I think the person above me is referring to the recent Spielberg film and not the original novel.

Answer 2

War of the Worlds shows the two sides of science - how a technologically advanced society can dominate another, and how ultimately impotent science is to save us. This is an interesting contrast to the film Independence Day, where
technology ultimately does defeat the aliens.

It also illustrates xenophobia, the fear of strangers. It would be interesting to compare the approach to aliens in this book vs the friendly aliens in films such as E.T. or The Day the Earth Stood Still. If you take this approach, don't forget to include the panic that happened during Orson Welles radio play of the book. Just fascinating.

Answer 3

Check out this great website. It has write-ups of the following:
D. STORY ANALYSIS
D1. Theme: Hubris & Complacency
D2. Theme: Imperialism
D3. Theme: Evolution
D4. Theme: Social Darwinism
D5. Theme: War
D6. Theme: Materialism vs. Faith
D7. Subtext: Invasion Jitters
D8. Subtext: Vicarious Destruction
D9. The Novel's Legacy

Just click on STORY ANALYSIS

Answer 4

My favorite is that: Family is very important, and sometimes it takes a traumatic event to understand how important your family is to you.