Footprints Without Feet

Textual Solutions for Class 10 English 

Chapter 5 – Footprints without Feet

"Footprints Without Feet" is a story by H. G. Wells. It starts with two boys seeing muddy footprints appear suddenly. They followed the footprints, but they faded away and disappeared. These footprints were from Griffin, a scientist who made himself invisible. Griffin was smart but didn't follow rules. He set fire to his landlord's house because he was asked to leave. Griffin walked around London naked to stay warm. He went into a store to get clothes. When the store closed, he put on warm clothes. But when the workers saw him, he ran away without clothes. Then he went to Drury Lane to disguise himself. He attacked a shopkeeper, stole money, and left London. In a village inn, he booked two rooms and stole money from a clergyman. The next day, he paid the inn for one room. People at the inn got suspicious and told a constable. Mrs. Hall asked Griffin questions, making him angry. He showed his bandages, and when the constable came, he ran away, leaving the constable unconscious. No one could catch him.

1. How did the invisible man first become visible?

The invisible man, Griffin, became visible when he walked in mud and left footprints on the steps of a house in London. Two boys saw the footprints and followed them until they faded away. Griffin easily got away from the boys. It was winter, so he went into a big store to stay warm and slept there. He took shoes, a coat, and a hat from the store to wear. When the store opened, the shop assistants saw him wearing the clothes and he became visible. To escape, he had to take off all the clothes and become invisible again.

2. Why was he wandering the streets?

Griffin was a brilliant scientist, but he was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to evict him from the house. In revenge, the scientist set the house on fire. To escape from the scene, he removed his clothes and became a homeless wanderer without clothes, no money and totally invisible, roaming around the streets of London.

Read and Find Out (Page 28)

1. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?

A strange-looking person arrived at the inn in winter, which was rare. Mrs. Hall tried to be nice to Griffin, but he was unfriendly. He told her he didn't want to talk to anyone and came for peace and quiet to do his work. Mrs. Hall thought he was strange because of this.

2. What curious episode occurs in the study?

One morning, the clergyman and his wife heard noises from their study and woke up. They quietly went downstairs and heard coins being taken from the clergyman's desk. But when they entered the study, nobody was there. They checked under the desk, behind the curtains, and even up the chimney, but found no one. However, they saw that the desk was open, and the money for the housekeeping was gone.

3. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?

At the inn, strange things happened. Mrs. Hall and her husband found the scientist's room door wide open, which was unusual. They looked inside, but the scientist was not there, only his clothes and bandages were scattered around. Suddenly, Mrs. Hall heard a noise near her ear, and the hat on the bedpost hit her face. Then, the chair in the room jumped up and pushed them out, slamming the door shut behind them. Mrs. Hall thought there were ghosts in the room because of these strange events, and she believed the scientist had something to do with it.

Think about it (Page 31)

1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.

Griffin was a troublemaker who didn't care about others. He set his landlord's house on fire and stole clothes and money. When Mrs. Hall tried to confront him, he threw a chair at her and her husband. He even escaped from the constable who came to arrest him. People like Griffin only think about themselves and don't care if they hurt others. They are selfish and don't follow the rules.

2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?

Griffin was a smart scientist who found a way to make people disappear. It was a big deal in science. But instead of helping others, he used his discovery to do bad things. He liked having power and hurting people. Even though he was good at science, he didn't use it to help others. He only used it for himself.

Talk about it (Page 31)

1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?

Becoming invisible might seem really exciting to many people. But like everything, it has good and bad sides. For example, soldiers could use invisibility to catch bad guys without them knowing. This could help keep our streets safe. And for kids, being invisible means they can play tricks on their friends without getting caught. But being invisible also has downsides. It could make someone feel lonely because they can't be seen by anyone. They might end up like the scientist in the story, who didn't have any friends.

2. Are there forces around us that are invisible, for example, magnetism? Are there aspects of matter that are ‘invisible’ or not visible to the naked eye? What would the world be like if you could see such forces or such aspects of matter?

Yes, things like electrostatic and magnetic forces are invisible but still very powerful. They're like hidden helpers that we can't see, but we can feel their effects. Just like atoms and molecules are too small to see, these forces are too. If we could see them, it might be overwhelming or confusing. It's kind of like trying to see sound or heat energy - they're there, but we can't see them with our eyes. So, while it might seem cool to see invisible things, it could also be tricky and cause problems for us.

3. What makes glass or water transparent (what is the scientific explanation for this)? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible, or transparent? (Keep in mind that writers of science fiction have often turned out to be prophetic in their imagination!)

Yes, that's correct! When light shines on objects like glass or water, it can pass through because they're transparent. But when light hits an object, it bounces off and reflects back to our eyes, making the object visible. So, if there was a special device that could somehow stop the light from reflecting off our bodies, we could become invisible too! It's like wearing an invisibility cloak in a magical story - light would pass right through us, making us vanish from sight!