The Invisible Man The Invisible Man (a.k.a. Griffin, the Stranger) Quotes

"I clean lost my temper, the fools! Why couldn't they leave me alone?" (23.56)

Ah, yes – it's always the other person's fault, according to Griffin. Although maybe he has a point: if he could simply go away somewhere to do his research and not have to deal with other people, maybe everything would work out. What do you think?

"Blundering into your house, Kemp," he said, "changes all my plans. For you are a man that can understand. In spite of all that has happened, in spite of this publicity, of the loss of my books, of what I have suffered, there still remain great possibilities, huge possibilities—" (24.16)

Notice that Griffin reaches out to Kemp as someone he can share his dreams with. Griffin may still be an invisible man, but Kemp is his mental equal (or close enough), so they can share something. This is one of the few times we see Griffin trying to make himself less isolated.

"I made a mistake, Kemp, a huge mistake, in carrying this thing through alone. I have wasted strength, time, opportunities. Alone—it is wonderful how little a man can do alone!" (24.22)

Here's where Griffin ends up, even though he seemed to love being alone when he started to tell Kemp his story. Of course, Griffin's plan to recruit Kemp doesn't work out and Griffin is forced to work alone. Finally, he recognizes that isolation comes with a price.