Chapter 7- The Invisible Man Summary Notes and Extra Questions

CHAPTER 7: Summary (The Unveiling of the Stranger)

Mrs Hall decided not to serve the stranger as the bill was also overdue and he had been behaving in a most unpleasant manner. He kept ringing the bell, but no one turned up. By this time, the news of the burglary at the vicarage had spread and everyone suspected the stranger to be somehow connected to the strange happenings. Many people started to gather at the inn. The stranger rang the bell a number of times and finally came out. He called for Mrs Hall and asked why his breakfast was not laid. Mrs Hall served him with a bill on the tray instead. She insisted that he clear his bills and refused to be cowed down by his intimidating behaviour. The stranger then told her that he had some money in his pocket. She demanded an explanation as to where he had got his money from. But more importantly, she wanted to know what the stranger had done to her chairs and how he appeared and disappeared without anyone noticing him. This confrontation agitated the stranger and he suddenly pulled out his fake nose in front of everyone present and took off everything on his face becoming ‘headless’. Everybody started to run out of the bar. They were prepared for ugliness but not nothingness. They came out on the street and started talking about what had just happened. Mr Jaffers, the village constable came to arrest the stranger. The people told him about what happened at the inn. He was firm and resolute to arrest the man. He went in with Mr Hall and Mr Wadgers. The stranger shouted that being invisible was no crime and that he had done nothing to be treated like that. Mr Jaffers said that he was arresting him for the burglary at the Buntings. The stranger said that he would submit and that he should not be handcuffed. Jaffers relented. As soon as the stranger got the opportunity, he started to take off his clothes. Jaffers realised that the man was attempting to escape and asked everyone to stop the man. But it was too late. As soon as his clothes came off, everybody started getting blows out of nowhere. Jaffers tried his best to contain the man, but it was impossible to fight the Invisible Man. Finally, Jaffers was knocked off and the Invisible Man made his escape.

 Q1. Describe the circumstances that led to the unveiling of Griffin’s invisibility.

Ans. The stranger remains locked in the parlour all morning. He rings his bell for Mrs Hall several times, but she does not answer it. About noon, he emerges and demands to know why his meals have not been brought to him. Mrs Hall tells him that his bill has not been paid in five days. She refuses to accept the excuse that he is waiting for a remittance. When he produces some money, she refuses it, saying she first wants to know why he doesn’t enter by doorways and move about like normal people. At this, the stranger removes all his head wrappings, including his nose. He appears like a person without a head. The man removes the rest of his clothes, becoming invisible before them. He tells them that he is invisible. Jaffers, the constable wants to take him in for questioning on suspicion of robbing the Bunting home. A scuffle ensues, and the stranger escapes.

 Q2. Why did the narrator say that Mrs Hall had the better of the Invisible Man in the bar?

Ans. After the attack by the furniture, the Halls were thinking of throwing out the stranger from the inn. Mrs Hall was very upset at what had happened. Moreover, when Mr Hall demanded an explanation, the stranger was very rude and asked to be left alone. Mrs Hall decided that she would not serve him any longer. The stranger was not only suspected of burglary but of having made their furniture behave in a most spooky manner giving them a terrible fright. He had also become unreliable with the payment. She could hear the stranger in a rage and ringing the bell, but she was resolute. When the stranger asked for her, she immediately demanded her payment and asked him to keep his swearing to himself. She further accused him of the burglary at the vicarage. She questioned him what he had done with the ‘chair upstairs’ and how he had entered without using the door. Her behaviour made the stranger back down and it was felt in the bar that Mrs Hall had had the better of him.

Q3. What happened when Jaffers, the constable, tried to arrest the stranger? How did the stranger outwit the people of Iping and escape?

Ans. The stranger was very furious when Mrs Hall accused him of stealing money from Mr Bunting’s house. In a fit of rage, the stranger began unwrapping his bandages. The people were prepared for ugliness and deformity but not prepared for this sight of nothingness and the frightened people ran outside in panic. Mr Jaffers, the village constable, came to the inn with the warrant to arrest the stranger. The constable said that head or no head, he would arrest the stranger. A fight ensued in which Mr Jaffers got brutally beaten up. However, with the help of Mr Hall, MrWadgers and others, the Invisible Man was subdued. The stranger offered to surrender but it was merely a trick. He knew that as long as he was clothed, he wouldn’t be able to escape. Before anyone could suspect, the Invisible Man took off all his clothes and the people were left fighting with an invisible figure. Obviously, they were no match for him. Anyone who tried to catch him was hit. Mr Jaffers tried his best to get a hold of him but was so forcefully hit that he was rendered flat on the ravel while the Invisible Man escaped.

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