The War of the Worlds · Chapter
II: The Falling Star explained
Ogilvy discovers the fallen cylinder on Horsell Common and realizes it is artificial and hollow, with something inside unscrewing the top.
What happens
Ogilvy discovers the fallen cylinder on Horsell Common and realizes it is artificial and hollow, with something inside unscrewing the top. He alerts Henderson, and news spreads, drawing crowds to the site.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this chapter, the narrator reaches his emotional and psychological nadir as he wanders through a corpse-lit…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Technology and Destruction
The artificial cylinder represents advanced Martian technology, foreshadowing destruction.
- Alienation and Otherness
The unknown entity within the cylinder is initially perceived as 'men' but is alien, highlighting otherness.
Characters to notice
- Ogilvy
Discovers the cylinder, realizes it is artificial, and alerts others.
- Henderson
London journalist who is informed by Ogilvy and helps spread the news.
- The Martians
Implied presence inside the cylinder, unscrewing the top.
- The Narrator
Hears about the cylinder from his newspaper boy and goes to investigate.
Key passages
“The cylinder was artificial—hollow—with an end that screwed out! Something within the cylinder was unscrewing the top!”
Ogilvy realizes the cylinder is man-made and hollow, with an interior mechanism opening it.
Key moment of discovery that the object is not a natural meteorite.
“He met a wagoner and tried to make him understand, but the tale he told and his appearance were so wild—his hat had fallen off in the pit—that the man simply drove on.”
Ogilvy's frantic appearance and story cause a wagoner to dismiss him as crazy.
Illustrates the initial disbelief and difficulty in conveying extraordinary news.
