The Invisible Man · Chapter
The Strange Man's Arrival explained
A mysterious stranger arrives at the Coach and Horses inn in Iping during a snowstorm, heavily wrapped and carrying a small portmanteau.
What happens
A mysterious stranger arrives at the Coach and Horses inn in Iping during a snowstorm, heavily wrapped and carrying a small portmanteau. He demands a room and fire, paying generously. Mrs. Hall, the innkeeper, is puzzled by his refusal to remove his hat and coat, and later discovers his face is entirely bandaged except for his nose, with blue goggles hiding his eyes. He eats with a serviette over his mouth, speaks through a muffler, and seems sensitive about his appearance. He inquires about transporting luggage from Bramblehurst station, but rebuffs Mrs. Hall's attempts at conversation, especially about accidents and bandages. He remains in the parlour until evening, smoking and pacing, occasionally muttering to himself.
Themes in this chapter
Invisibility and Identity
The stranger's bandaged face and hidden features immediately raise questions about his identity and what he is concealing, foreshadowing the theme of invisibility.
Isolation and Alienation
The stranger's refusal to engage socially, his physical concealment, and his preference for solitude in the parlour underscore his alienation from the community.
Fear of the Unknown
Mrs. Hall's shock and the villagers' curiosity about the stranger's bandaged appearance reflect the fear and suspicion of the unknown that permeates the chapter.
Characters to notice
- Griffin
The stranger arrives at the inn, heavily bandaged and wearing blue spectacles, hiding his entire face except his nose. He is secretive, abrupt, and sensitive about his appearance.
- Mrs. Hall
The innkeeper who welcomes the stranger, serves him, and is perplexed and startled by his bandaged appearance. She tries to engage him in conversation but is rebuffed.
- Millie
The lymphatic maid who is scolded by Mrs. Hall for her slowness in preparing mustard.
Key passages
“The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking from Bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand.”
One cold February day, during the year's final snowstorm, a mysterious man walked from Bramblehurst station to Iping, carrying a small black suitcase in his gloved hand.
Introduces the stranger's arrival under harsh winter conditions, emphasizing his mysterious and burdened entrance.
“He was wrapped up from head to foot, and the brim of his soft felt hat hid every inch of his face but the shiny tip of his nose; the snow had piled itself against his shoulders and chest, and added a white crest to the burden he carried.”
The man was completely bundled up, his hat brim covering all but the tip of his nose, and snow had accumulated on his shoulders and chest like a white crest.
Highlights the stranger's extreme concealment, setting up the mystery of his identity.
“She noticed that the melting snow that still sprinkled his shoulders dripped upon her carpet.”
Mrs. Hall observed that the melting snow on his shoulders was dripping onto her carpet.
Shows Mrs. Hall's attention to detail and the stranger's disregard for his surroundings.
“He held a white cloth—it was a serviette he had brought with him—over the lower part of his face, so that his mouth and jaws were completely hidden, and that was the reason of his muffled voice.”
He kept a napkin over his mouth and jaw, which made his voice sound muffled.
Reveals the stranger's deliberate concealment of his mouth, adding to the mystery.
“It was the fact that all his forehead above his blue glasses was covered by a white bandage, and that another covered his ears, leaving not a scrap of his face exposed excepting only his pink, peaked nose.”
His forehead and ears were wrapped in white bandages, with only his pink, pointed nose visible.
Describes the extent of the stranger's bandaging, shocking Mrs. Hall and the reader.
