Gutenberg Articles

Appearance

Excerpt ​

Excerpt from When the Sleeper Wakes, by H. G. Wells

The engine was very simple in appearance. Asano, pointing out the
parts of this apparatus to him, told him that, like the gas-engine of
Victorian days, it was of the explosive type, burning a small drop of
a substance called “fomile” at each stroke. It consisted simply of
reservoir and piston about the long fluted crank of the propeller shaft.
So much Graham saw of the machine.

The flying stage about him was empty save for Asano and their suite of
attendants. Directed by the aeronaut he placed himself in his seat. He
then drank a mixture containing ergot--a dose, he learnt, invariably
administered to those about to fly, and designed to counteract the
possible effect of diminished air pressure upon the system. Having done
so, he declared himself ready for the journey. Asano took the empty
glass from him, stepped through the bars of the hull, and stood below on
the stage waving his hand. Suddenly he seemed to slide along the stage
to the right and vanish.

The engine was beating, the propeller spinning, and for a second the
stage and the buildings beyond were gliding swiftly and horizontally
past Graham’s eye; then these things seemed to tilt up abruptly. He
gripped the little rods on either side of him instinctively. He felt
himself moving upward, heard the air whistle over the top of the
wind screen. The propeller screw moved round with powerful rhythmic
impulses--one, two, three, pause; one, two, three--which the engineer
controlled very delicately. The machine began a quivering vibration that
continued throughout the flight, and the roof areas seemed running away
to starboard very quickly and growing rapidly smaller. He looked from
the face of the engineer through the ribs of the machine. Looking
sideways, there was nothing very startling in what he saw--a rapid
funicular railway might have given the same sensations. He recognised
the Council House and the Highgate Ridge. And then he looked straight
down between his feet.

Explanation ​

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells ​

Context of the Source ​

H.G. Wells’ When the Sleeper Wakes (1899, revised as The Sleeper Awakes in 1910) is a seminal work of early science fiction that explores themes of dystopian futurism, technological advancement, and social upheaval. The novel follows Graham, a man who falls into a deep sleep in 1897 and awakens over two centuries later in a radically transformed world. The society he encounters is one of extreme class division, where a small elite controls vast technological power, and the masses live in squalor. The excerpt provided describes Graham’s first experience in a flying machine, a technological marvel of this future world, symbolizing both human progress and the disorienting nature of rapid change.

Themes in the Excerpt ​

  1. Technological Wonder and Alienation

    • The flying machine is described with clinical precision, emphasizing its mechanical simplicity yet revolutionary function. Graham, a man from the 19th century, is both fascinated and unsettled by this technology.
    • The ergot mixture (a real fungus with hallucinogenic and medicinal properties) suggests that even the human body must be chemically altered to endure progress—hinting at the unnaturalness of this future.
    • The abrupt shift in perspective (from horizontal movement to vertical ascent) mirrors Graham’s broader disorientation in this new world.

  2. Power and Control

    • The engineer’s delicate control of the propeller ("one, two, three, pause; one, two, three") suggests a rhythmic, almost hypnotic mastery over machinery, reinforcing the idea that technology is both a tool and a force that dominates human experience.
    • The vanishing of Asano (his guide) as the machine takes off symbolizes how quickly human connections dissolve in the face of technological motion—Graham is now at the mercy of the machine and its operators.

  3. Perception and Reality

    • The description of the buildings "tilting up abruptly" and the roofs "running away to starboard" creates a surreal, dreamlike quality, reinforcing Graham’s sense of unreality.
    • The comparison to a "rapid funicular railway" suggests that even in this advanced world, some experiences are still analogous to the past—yet the vertical plunge downward ("between his feet") introduces a terrifying new dimension.

  4. Progress as Both Exhilarating and Terrifying

    • The whistling air and quivering vibration evoke a mix of thrill and dread, capturing the duality of progress—it is awe-inspiring yet destabilizing.
    • The recognition of familiar landmarks (Council House, Highgate Ridge) grounds the scene in reality, but the sudden shift to a vertical perspective (looking straight down) underscores how familiarity can become horrifying when viewed from a new angle.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices ​

  1. Sensory Imagery & Kinesthetic Language

    • "The air whistle over the top of the wind screen" (auditory)
    • "The stage and the buildings beyond were gliding swiftly" (visual, tactile)
    • "He gripped the little rods instinctively" (tactile, reflexive)
    • "A quivering vibration that continued throughout the flight" (tactile, unsettling)
    • These details immerse the reader in Graham’s physical and psychological experience, making the technological marvel feel visceral rather than abstract.

  2. Juxtaposition of the Familiar and the Alien

    • The machine is "simple in appearance" yet runs on "fomile", an unknown substance.
    • The engine’s rhythm ("one, two, three, pause") is mechanical but almost musical, blending the industrial with the organic.
    • The recognition of London landmarks contrasts with the unearthly sensation of flight, creating cognitive dissonance.

  3. Symbolism

    • The Flying Machine = Human ambition, progress, and the loss of control.
    • The Ergot Drink = The need to chemically adapt to a world that has outpaced natural human limits.
    • Looking Down Between His Feet = A moment of existential vertigo, representing Graham’s (and humanity’s) precarious position in a rapidly changing world.

  4. Pacing & Structure

    • The passage begins with technical description (calm, analytical) but shifts to rapid, disjointed sensations as the machine takes off, mirroring Graham’s loss of stability.
    • The sudden disappearance of Asano and the abrupt tilt upward create a cinematic, almost jump-cut effect, reinforcing the shock of the new.

Significance of the Passage ​

  1. Early Depiction of Flight in Fiction

    • Wells wrote this before the Wright brothers’ first powered flight (1903), making his vision of personal flying machines remarkably prescient.
    • The description blends steampunk aesthetics (gas-engine comparisons) with futuristic innovation, bridging 19th-century industry and 22nd-century technology.

  2. Critique of Unchecked Progress

    • The scene is not just celebratory—it carries an undercurrent of anxiety. The need for drugs to endure flight suggests that progress comes at a biological and psychological cost.
    • The detached, almost clinical tone of the narration contrasts with Graham’s internal turmoil, highlighting the dehumanizing potential of technology.

  3. Graham as the Everyman in a Dystopian Future

    • His confusion and fear make him a relatable figure, allowing Wells to critique utopian visions of progress.
    • The vertical perspective (looking down) is a literal and metaphorical representation of how societal hierarchies in this future world have elevated some while leaving others behind.

  4. Influence on Later Sci-Fi

    • The sense of disorientation in a technologically advanced world foreshadows later works like Brave New World (Huxley) and Neuromancer (Gibson).
    • The flying machine as a status symbol (only the elite can fly) prefigures class-based access to technology in dystopian fiction.

Close Reading: Key Moments ​

  1. "He then drank a mixture containing ergot..."

    • Why ergot? Historically used (and abused) for its hallucinogenic and vasoconstrictive properties, its inclusion suggests that this future requires chemical alteration to function—a dark commentary on human adaptation to artificial environments.

  2. "Suddenly he seemed to slide along the stage to the right and vanish."

    • The abruptness of Asano’s disappearance reinforces the isolation of modern technological experience—human guides are temporary, but machines are constant.

  3. "Looking sideways, there was nothing very startling in what he saw..."

    • The horizontal view is familiar, but the vertical plunge is terrifying—Wells uses this to show how perspective shapes fear.

  4. "And then he looked straight down between his feet."

    • The final, chilling image—this is the moment of realization, where the full weight of his displacement hits him. It’s not just about height; it’s about how far he has fallen (or risen) from his own time.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters ​

This excerpt is a microcosm of the novel’s central tensions:

  • Wonder vs. Dread in the face of progress.
  • Human fragility vs. Mechanical power.
  • The past’s familiarity vs. The future’s alienation.

Wells doesn’t just describe a flying machine; he immerses the reader in the psychological experience of technological upheaval. The passage is both a marvel of early sci-fi imagination and a cautionary tale about how quickly humanity can lose its footing in a world it has itself created.

In many ways, Graham’s first flight is a metaphor for the entire novel—a disorienting ascent into a future that is at once dazzling and dehumanizing.