CHAPTER 12: Summary (The Invisible Man Loses His Temper)
Mr Teddy and Mr Hall heard some curious sounds corning from the Invisible Man’s room in which Bunting and Cuss were present. They inquired if the two investigators were all right. Cuss and Buntings who were in the grip of the Invisible Man replied asking them not to interrupt them.
Things did not seem quite right and Mrs Hall unaware of the strange sounds coming from the parlour reprimanded her husband for wasting time on a busy day. She also accused the two men of eavesdropping. She presumed that the two investigators inside the parlour were engrossed in their work.
 Just then Huxter raised an alarm. Huxter’s suspicions of Marvel who had been lounging against the inn wall had been proved right. He saw Marvel suddenly appear with a bundle in his hand and walk fast in the direction that would lead him out of the village. Huxter ran to catch him. The short stranger was terrified to see Huxter chasing him and started running when suddenly Huxter tripped and fell. He had been brought to an abrupt halt by the Invisible Man. Everybody thought that Marvel was the Invisible Man who had suddenly become visible. The men in pursuit were then attacked by the Invisible Man. In the meantime, Cuss appeared. He had no idea of the presence of Marvel. As he joined the pursuit, he was knocked off his feet twice and he at once realised that the Invisible Man was responsible for this. He came running back to the inn shouting that the Invisible Man was coming and he was mad with rage. Everybody was running and whosoever came in the Invisible Man’s way was hurt. Initially, he had just wanted to help Marvel escape, but then he lost his temper and started hurting people just for the sake of it. He broke every single window of the “Coach and Horses”, pulled down the telegraph poles and generally broke whatever he could. Then he left Iping never to return.
Q1. The Invisible Man is in his element, losing his temper and beating the villagers. Comment.
OR
Describe the final showdown that the Invisible Man has with the people of Iping.
Ans. The Invisible Man, Griffin, had planned with Marvel that they would get his books back. Huxter shouted ‘Stop thief and went running after the man in the shabby high hat. It was Marvel, running out with a bundle containing clothes and the three books of the Invisible Man. His case was brought to a halt by Griffin tripping Huxter. The whole village came out to see what Huxter was yelling about and also started chasing him. Marvel had Griffin’s previous books. If he would have been caught, Griffin would have had a major setback. The Invisible Man started hindering the pursuers. Initially, he wanted to help Marvel’s escape, but the hot pursuit of the villagers angered Griffin and then he lost his temper. He now set out to hurt and traumatise people for the mere pleasure of causing harm. Then he broke all the windows of the ‘Coach and Horses’ and thrust a street lamp through the parlour window of Mrs Gribble. The streets of Iping were left deserted and the festivities planned for Whit Monday was brought to a halt.
Q2. How does Dr Cuss’s encounter with Griffin end in a disaster?
Ans. Cuss, the general practitioner, had a keen desire to know about the stranger who was also an experimenter. He approached the stranger on the pretext of collecting subscription for the nurse fund. This way he hoped to interact with the stranger and know the secret of his bandaged face. The stranger sensed his motive and with an apparently armless sleeve pinched Cuss’ nose thus scaring him to death. It turned out to be an extraordinary, an unusual and a nightmarish kind of experience for Cuss as the things he noticed and felt could hardly be rationalized. Cuss fled straight to Bunting and related his incredible experience to him. Thus out of professional envy, he managed to only infuriate the stranger rather than knowing something valuable about him. It only proved to be a disaster in the end.
