CHAPTER 22- In the Emporium: Summary
Griffin explains his first attempts to get clothing and render his situation more tolerable. He had gone into the Omniums, a large apartment type store where one could buy everything from groceries to clothing. He made his way to an area of bedsteads and mattresses, hoping that once the store closed for the night, he would be able to sleep on the mattresses and steal some clothes with which to mask his condition.In the night he procured a complete set of clothes for himself, helped himself to food in a refreshment department, and then slept in a pile of down quilts. He failed to awaken before the morning crew had entered, however, and was unable to escape as long as they could see him. Thus he was forced to shed the clothing and run, naked, back out into the cold.
Notes: Griffin was preoccupied with getting his food and clothes by illicit means. His plans are continually evil even as the reactions of other people are consistently behaviors of suspicion and rejection. At no point does he consider trying to get anyone to understand his situation. His imagination drives him only toward evil, as if the grotesque and the evil are natural partners.
Q1. What made Griffin go to the huge departmental store?
Soon after turning invisible, Griffin started to realise all the miseries that this new situation had landed him into. Cold, weary, painful, miserable and absolutely lonely in this world, Griffin had nowhere to turn to because he had burnt down his lodgings as well. The snow storm and his compulsory nakedness made it clear that he urgently needed to look out for a shelter and some warm clothing to be able to work out the further plan of action. Since all the houses around in the London Street were locked and barred for him, he decided to go into „Omniums‟, a bid emporium, where things would be available in abundance and where he could make himself comfortable by getting some clothes and feeding himself. The emporium would also give him an opportunity to steal money that would enable him to hire another lodging for himself where he could sit and plan his future to materialise the benefits of his invisibility.
Q2. Do you agree that the staff at Omniums were sincere and efficient? Discuss in light of the observations made by Griffin when he saw them closing the store.
The customers were marched towards the door by the Omnium‟s staff when it was time for closing the emporium. The staff then drew down the blinds of the windows. All the goods that remained disturbed and displaced were neatly put back to their respective places. The products displayed for sale during the day were put back by the young staff with great efficiency. Everything was neatly folded and kept back. However, the things that could not be taken down were covered with sheets made for that purpose. Each one of these men and women moved to the door after finishing the work. After all the displayed stuff was taken care of, the staff scattered saw dust and carried brooms and pails in their hands to clean the floor. When everything was spic and span, they all left after securely locking the emporium. Thus these observations made by Griffin prove that the staff at Omniums was sincere and efficient.
Q3. What different pieces of clothing did griffin choose for himself at the Omniums store to look and feel like a human being again? What did he do to satisfy his hunger?
After attaining invisibility, Griffin faced unexpected problems. To look and feel like a human once again he needed pieces of clothing to accomplish this wish. Hence he went into the Omniums where he first went to the gloves section. It was pitch dark so he first looked for matches and a candle. Then he hunted for warm pants and vests. This was followed by a pair of trousers, a lounge jacket, an overcoat and a slouch hat with the brim turned down. After
wearing all these pieces of garment he started to feel like a human being again. Next, he turned to the refreshment department because he was very hungry. There he helped himself with cold meat, and a cup of coffee that he warmed up after lighting the gas. Moving in search of some blankets, he came upon a grocery section where he had a lot of chocolate and candied fruit. He also had some white burgundy. Thus, the emporium catered to his immediate needs for cover and hunger.
CHAPTER 23- In Drury Lane: Summary
Griffin‟s peril increased daily. He had no clothes or shelter and dared not eat. Also, he soon realized that walking through the streets of London was going to result in an accumulation of dirt on his skin- which would make him visible in a grotesque way. He made his way into a costume shop, hoping to make way with some clothes and dark glasses after the proprietor had gone to bed. In the shopkeeper‟s room, he had to stand and watch the man eat his breakfast. Furthermore, the man had exceptionally acute hearing and nearly discovered Griffin several times. When evening came, he was finally able to explore the house and found a pile of old clothes. In his excitement, he forgot about the noise he was making and was nearly caught when the shopkeeper investigated the noise. Unable to see the source, but positive someone was in the house, the proprietor went about locking all the doors in the house and pocketing the keys. In desperation, Griffin struck the old man on the head, then gagged and tied him with a sheet. Then he put together a costume of old clothes, stole all the money he could find and went out into the street.
Believing his troubles were over, Griffin went into a restaurant and ordered a meal, but soon realized he couldn‟t eat it without exposing his invisible face. He ordered the lunch and left, telling the proprietor that he would be back in ten minutes. Griffin went to “another place” (which happens to be the Coach & Horses Inn) and demanded a private room, explaining that he was “badly disfigured.” Thus he had set himself up at Iping, hoping to find a way to reverse the process of invisibility. Here he was finally discovered.
Notes:This chapter brings us current with events in the first chapter of the book.
Q1. What kind of unexpected problems did Griffin encounter after reaching Drury Lane? Why did he expect a solution to his problems in the costume shop?
Griffin was initially extremely delighted at becoming invisible. He felt he was now a powerful man. But the ground reality was diametrically opposite. When he reached Drury lane he neither had shelter nor covering. Wearing clothes would have led to the loss of invisibility. He could not even eat in public as filling himself with unassimilated matter would have made him grotesquely visible. He could not go out in the snowfall as the flakes would settle on him and expose him. Even rain would give him a water-outline making him look like a huge bubble. The dust that settled on his body would threaten his invisibility. He had to keep away from crowds, because he was wedged and squeezed by them. Acutely
troubled by these problems, griffin had to find some way to give himself the looks of a visible man. He expected to find a solution to his problems caused by invisibility in the costume shop where the right type of accessories could give him a grotesque appearance. He would then be able to wear clothes to keep himself warm.
Q2. Describe how Griffin managed to get into the hunch man’s house? Why did he enter it?
Griffin entered the hunch man‟s shop, and as he entered the clanking of the bell alerted the owner. However, on not finding anyone, he had an expression of surprise and believed it must have been some urchins on the street. But to the surprise of the hunch man there was no one on the street. The hunch man began to go back into his four storied dismal house. Griffin followed him closely but the old man stopped at the slight noise of his movement. Griffin too
stopped surprised at the old man‟s acute sense of hearing. Before Griffin could enter the house the old man closed the door and Griffin was left standing helplessly. Luckily, the hunch man opened the door shortly to go to the shop. He left the door open and made it easy for griffin to enter without any hindrance. Griffin hid himself and sought a suitable wig, mask, spectacles and costume to disguise himself. He also intended to rob the house for some money.
Q3. Why did Griffin hit the hunch man on his head? What light does this action reflect about his character?
The hunch man had an acute sense of hearing. Even the slightest sound created by Griffin‟s movement made him look around suspiciously. His vigilance was threatening to upset Griffin‟s plans. Looking for an intruder, the hunch man went all over his house locking door after door pocketing all the keys. This infuriated Griffin. By this time he had sensed that the hunch man was all alone. This emboldened him and when the hunch man was climbing down
the stairs, Griffin hit his head with a stool and sent him tumbling down the staircase. This incident shows that Griffin has no control over his anger. He easily resorted to crime to overcome his obstacles. He could stoop to any level, flouting even the common conventions of humanity, when his plans were hindered.
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