The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (OCR GCSE English Literature): Revision Notes

The War of The Worlds: Key Quotations

Below is a list of all of the quotations we have covered organised by character and theme:

Human Survival

• The Artilleryman: "We must live like rats."
• The Narrator's Brother: "We must escape this place."

Imperialism

• The Martians' invasion can be interpreted as a metaphor for imperialism.

Science and Rationality

• The Narrator: "What good is religion if it collapses under calamity?"

Panic and Fear

• The Narrator's Brother: "He had to give threepence for a copy of that paper."
• The Narrator's Brother: "We must escape this place."
• The Curate: "The end! The great and terrible day of the Lord!"

Adaptation

• The Artilleryman: "We must live like rats."
• The Artilleryman: "People have grown soft and weak."