In The War of The Worlds, what is H. G. Well's view of organised religion and how is it conveyed?

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

Henry Hayhurst-France

10B 30/03/07

In The War of The Worlds, what is H. G. Well’s view of organised religion and how is it conveyed?

The book, “The War of the Worlds” was written by H.G. Wells in 1898. At this point in history England was a church going society. The majority of beliefs came from, religion, religious teachings, military myths or superstition. Through the story, H.G. Wells, shows a lack of respect of organised religion. Darwin’s theory on the evolution of man (“Origin of the Species” pub. 1859) had created quite a stir because it undermined the belief that we were all God’s creation. In the “War of the Worlds”, H.G. Wells highlights the brutal struggle for survival of both the martians and mankind, indicating his support for Darwinism.

“The intellectual side of man already admits that life is an incessant struggle for existence and it would seem that this too is the belief of the minds upon Mars.” – Chapter 1, The Eve of the War, p.2/3

Therefore many considered the “War of the Worlds” to be blasphemous. You might have guessed it was the first book of its type to be released in England and through the story, H.G. Wells conveyed the opinion that organised religion could not prepare man for disaster. It was inconceivable that the greatest nation in the world, the British Empire, (founded on devout Christian beliefs), could be defeated by an unknown race.

“At most, terrestrial men fancied that there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise.” – Chapter 1, The Eve of War, p.1

To emphasise his view that organised religion cannot sustain man in the event of disaster, H.G. Wells, includes the character of a curate. In chapter 13, of Book one, the narrator wakes from a stressful ordeal near Weybridge to find himself in the presence of the curate. The invasion has had a devastating effect on the curate, and it has completely undermined his beliefs. This is conveyed by his inability to make sense of the events he is experiencing. He is ineffectual – shown by his inability to find water for the narrator. He questions the martian invasion, expressing confusion over what mankind could have possibly done to cause such a monstrosity.

“Why are these things permitted? What sins have we done?

The morning service was over, I was walking through the roads, and then –fire, earthquake, death! As if it were Sodom and Gomorrah!”

The curate makes a reference to the bible, concerning “Sodom” and “Gomorrah”. Both were cities believed to have been destroyed by God because of their sins. But he can see none. The curate asks what wrong-doing has brought this upon his town, Weybridge. It becomes clear that the church has been destroyed, and once again the curate asks why – this has affected him mentally ...

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“Why are these things permitted? What sins have we done?

The morning service was over, I was walking through the roads, and then –fire, earthquake, death! As if it were Sodom and Gomorrah!”

The curate makes a reference to the bible, concerning “Sodom” and “Gomorrah”. Both were cities believed to have been destroyed by God because of their sins. But he can see none. The curate asks what wrong-doing has brought this upon his town, Weybridge. It becomes clear that the church has been destroyed, and once again the curate asks why – this has affected him mentally to great extent. The destruction of the church is an image portrayed by H.G. Wells to highlight the possible collapse of organised religion. The curator exclaims:

“This must be the beginning of the end!” (interrupting)

“The end! The great and terrible day of the Lord!”

“When men shall call upon the mountains and rocks to fall upon them and hide them – hide them from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne!”

The narrator tries to calm the curate down and says:

“Be a man. You are scared out of your wits. What good is religion if it collapses at calamity? Think of what earthquakes and floods, wars and volcanoes, have done before men. Do you think God has exempted Weybridge! He is not an insurance agent, man!”

The narrator is attempting to take control of the situation, and questioning the true depth of the curate’s religious beliefs. The narrator explains that people/humanity and religion have both survived other disasters. And so we realise that it is the narrator rather than the curate, with all his religious teachings who feels there is still hope.

“You must keep your head! There is still hope”

The curate has a very self-centred view of what is happening and cannot believe it is happening to him in his hometown of Weybridge. These could be the views of devoutly religious people in this situation, and Wells has conveyed them through the bewildered curate. In the times of 1898, all of the middle class community and above were regular church goers, and would see the breakdown of the curate in the story as blasphemous. The curate cannot find any ‘answers’ himself even when he looks to his faith. The curate refers to the tripods as “God’s ministers”, and from my research this suggests that he supposes that the tripods are in fact possibly working with God – the curate touches on this idea, and religion punishing the world, later on in the book.

In contrast, in book 2, chapter 7, we realise that despite the narrator’s lack of respect for organised religion he has an inner, private belief in God.

“In the silence of the night, with the sense of the nearness of God, that sometimes comes into the stillness and darkness…”

And perhaps this inner personal belief is what enables the narrator to express an idea that there is still hope despite witnessing the destruction of Weybridge.

In book two, chapter 4, paragraph 5, both the narrator and the curate are stuck in the ruins of a house beneath a ‘falling star’. The curate is now goes insane after he is confined for so long, he starts exclaiming:

“It is just O God! It is just. One me and mine be the punishment laid. We have sinned, we have fallen short. There was poverty, sorrow; the poor were trodden in the dust and I held my peace. I preached acceptable folly – my God, what folly! – when I should have stood up, though I died for it, and called upon them to repent – repent! . . . Oppressors of the poor and needy . . . The wine-press of God!”

The curate is claiming that he should have seen something like this coming, as there was so much wrong in the world he lived in. He is blaming himself for not having told people that something bad would happen if these problems were not sorted out. Through this speech, Wells is really expressing the failure of organised religion and showing how ineffectual the character of the curate really is. His irritant nature, loss of sanity and constant “frothy” repentance for his “vacant sham of God’s service” have all led to the curate’s panicky, raising voice.

“I have been still for too long, and now must bear my witnesses. Woe unto this unfaithful city! Woe! woe! Woe! woe! woe! to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet –” The curate.

“Shut up!” “For God’s sake –” The narrator

“Nay, Speak! The word of the Lord is upon me!” The curate

Ironically this is not the moment for the curate to decide that the word of the Lord is upon him as by raising his voice he is endangering both the narrator and himself. The narrator is pushed to the limit and in attempt to quiet the curate, knocks him out with the butt of the meat cleaver. The martian’s tentacle then retrieves the curate form the pantry floor, and is taken away, presumably killed. This incident reinforces Well’s belief in Darwin’s evolution theory involving natural selection and survival of the fittest rather than survival through organised religion.

However, in book 2, chapter 7, paragraph 2, we realise that the narrator has an inner private belief in God. He is mulling over past events; the curate “heedless of my thirst”, the disappearance of the martians, and the possible fate of his wife. He, feeling and seeing the absence of life in the country, days after he was stranded with the curate, claims that this is the one time he has felt some what closer to or the presence of God:

“In the silence of night, with that sense of the nearness of God that sometimes comes into the stillness and the darkness, I stood my trial, my only trial for that moment of wrath and fear.”

The narrator is clearly stating that it was only for that moment while he felt like the last survivor, scared and lost, alone that he had this feeling.

At times Wells is questioning organised religion, (particularly through the character and words of the curate) and asking whether or not these devout high church beliefs would save mankind from disaster. The curate had a big impact on the narrator throughout the book, with his persistent misunderstanding, and constantly turning to his faith for answers which were not forthcoming. On the other hand, the narrator does have a personal belief in God though he doesn’t expect to understand all events because of it. Towards the end of the book when it becomes apparent that bacteria killed the martians, the narrator (Wells) refers to it as:

“one of the humblest things that were placed on earth by God, in all his wisdom.”

And when the narrator thinks of the people who will return, and living normal lives again he says:

“At the thought I extended my hands towards the sky and began thanking God.”

In conclusion I would say that Wells uses the character of the curate to convey his disdainful view of organised religion and the journey of the narrator to express a personal belief in God, despite his obvious interest in contradictory scientific teachings and evolution theories.