Having been a fan of the original H.G. Wells story for some time now, I loved "Invisible Men" this week. Wells' version tells much of the same tale: a scientist develops a chemical process to make himself invisible and holes up in a turn-of-the-century English inn to continue his experiments.
I loved the change in point of view in this story. Recounting the classic narrative from the perspective of Millie, a sixteen year old employee at the Coach and Horses, definitely made the story feel fresh and relevant.
In particular, I love the ideas of different kinds of invisibility explored throughout the story. Millie, a clever girl in her own right, insists that she is already invisible, saying "I don't see nothing sir. And nothing sees me." She feels that as a poor servant girl, no one pays any attention to her, when she actually overlooks the advantages offered to her by that position. She can observe everything and everyone, and still go mostly unnoticed. This seems to be what the Invisible Man himself is striving for, but just can't quite achieve.
What other kinds of invisibility does the story discuss? How does each character take the notion of invisibility for themselves?
I agree that the man is striving to go unnoticed like Millie but cannot achieve it. Mille on one hand does not appreciate/realize her invisibility while the man wants to push the limits of what he can do while he is invisible. In some sense I guess he doesn't appreciate his invisibility either because he does not realize the good he could do with that kind of power.
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