Footprints Without Feet
A brilliant scientist turns invisible and uses his gift only for crime and cruelty
Summary
Griffin is a brilliant but lawless scientist who discovers how to make his body invisible by changing the way it reflects light. Instead of using his discovery for good, he becomes a homeless wanderer in London and turns to theft and mischief, his presence betrayed only by muddy footprints that appear to form on their own.
To escape the cold, Griffin breaks into a London store, dresses warmly and eats well, but is nearly caught and flees, becoming invisible again by shedding the clothes. He later robs a clergyman and moves to the village of Iping, where his bandaged, secretive appearance makes the curious villagers deeply suspicious.
When his money runs out he burgles the local clergyman, and a series of strange events exposes him. As villagers and a constable try to seize him, Griffin throws off his clothes to become invisible and escapes once more. The story shows how great scientific power, without conscience or responsibility, becomes a danger to society.
Key points to remember
- Griffin: a gifted but lawless scientist who makes himself invisible.
- He discovers invisibility by altering how his body absorbs and reflects light.
- The 'footprints without feet' are muddy prints that reveal the invisible Griffin.
- He uses his power for theft, escape and revenge, not for good.
- Mrs Hall and the Iping villagers grow suspicious of the bandaged stranger.
- Griffin robs the clergyman and repeatedly escapes by becoming invisible.
- Theme: scientific brilliance without ethics or responsibility is dangerous.
- Griffin is presented as a lonely, eccentric and ultimately criminal figure.
Important questions (board pattern)
- 6 marksHow did Griffin become invisible, and how was his presence detected?
How to answer: Explain his scientific discovery about light, then the muddy footprints, doors opening, and other clues that revealed him.
- 3 marksWhy is Griffin called a lawless scientist?
How to answer: Cite his thefts, setting fire to the house, robbing the clergyman, and using invisibility only for crime and escape.
- 3 marksHow did the people of Iping react to Griffin?
How to answer: Describe their curiosity and growing suspicion of the bandaged stranger who paid with stolen money and behaved oddly.
- 3 marksWhat message does the story give about science and responsibility?
How to answer: Great scientific power without conscience or social responsibility becomes a threat to others.
- 2 marksHow did Griffin escape when people tried to catch him?
How to answer: He threw off his clothes and bandages to become invisible again and slipped away.
Common exam traps
- Griffin made himself invisible, not someone else — he is the scientist and the 'invisible man'.
- Don't write that he used his power for good; he used it only for crime and escape.
- The footprints were of mud/dirt that revealed an otherwise invisible man — explain the paradox clearly.
- The setting moves from London to the village of Iping — don't muddle the two.
Frequently asked questions
- Who wrote Footprints Without Feet?
- It was written by H.G. Wells, a pioneer of science fiction.
- How did Griffin become invisible?
- He was a brilliant scientist who discovered a way to change his body so that it no longer absorbed or reflected light, making it invisible.
- What is the central message of the story?
- That scientific genius without ethics and responsibility can be dangerous and harmful to society.