Chapter 5 - Footprints Without Feet

This article will help you to learn about the summary, characters and themes in chapter 5, NCERT Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet.

Synopsis 

This story is about a scientist. His name was Griffin. One day he discovered a wonderful drug. This drug could make him invisible. He set his landlord’s house on fire. Then he took the drug. He became invisible. He could see everybody but nobody could see him. But it was very cold. He was without clothes. He went into a store. He passed his night there. He stole money and clothes from there. He went to a village called Iping. There he stayed at an inn. He stole some money. The police were called. But he became invisible and escaped from there.

Character List 

Griffin – The invisible man was given many names in this novel. At first, he was the stranger who arrived at Iping. Then, he was the Voice that startled everybody. However, his real name was Griffin.

Though he was the protagonist of the story, all his deeds were more like that of an antagonist. He was an eccentric scientist. Though he was a gifted scientist, he used his mind in a sinister way. He devised an experiment to become invisible and then started looting and murdering whoever came in his way.

Griffin was very irritable and impatient. He lost his temper over pretty things and started to hurt others; he had lost all his sense of conscience and didn’t feel sorry even after his burglary led to his father’s death. Although he was lonely and seemed to have been misunderstood from time to time, he failed to gain sympathy due to his murderous rage and evil ways.

Theme 

The story ‘Footprints without Feet’ describes the story of a brilliant scientist, Griffin, who degenerated himself into a lawless person. Griffin discovered that the human body could become transparent and invisible. But he misused his great discovery. He did not use the power of invisibility for the welfare of society and humanity at large. He misused it to threaten, trouble and beat innocent people and rob them. He made illicit entries in stores and shops and stole things from there. He committed a burglary in a clergyman’s house in Iping. Griffin remained invisible or unseen only when he was without clothes. If he put on clothes, he lost his invisibility and could be seen by the people around him. The lesson gives a message that misuse of science and its great discoveries can make even a brilliant scientist like Griffin a monster and a threatening lawless person.

To know more on NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet, and for Footprints Without Feet Solutions, refer to Footprint Without Feet Class 10 Book PDF.

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