War of the Worlds (Part 1 Summation)

The first part of the war is over, and Earth is defeated. The Martians have invaded and destroyed most of humanity, burning acres at a time with their Heat Ray and killing thousands with the Black Smoke. Humanity has put up token resistance, but for the most part the Martians have advanced unchecked. As previously noted, this story can be read as an allegory for European colonization of Africa and the Americas. If this metaphor is to be applied to Part 1, it can be seen as the conquering stage of colonization, when Cortes and Pizarro overwhelmed the indigenous peoples with their guns and horses, enslaving entire peoples. In essence, there is no real difference between the two scenarios--except that since the idea of a Martian invasion is foreign to us, we treat it as if it is some great offense against morality. The Martians are portrayed invincibly, the German blitzkreig, Attila the Hun, and Alexander the Great all rolled into one, as the invading colonization forces must have seemed to the native Americans. In writing this book, H.G. Wells did not just seek to write an excellent science fiction story, he also sought to educate people who may have had a one-sided view about the atrocities committed during European colonization.