In Chapter 21, Griffin tries to make his way through London with his new condition. One of the obstacles that he has to traverse is a crowd surrounding a band. The song that the band plays is the hymn "When shall we see His face?" Although the lyrics are not mentioned in the text, the hymn is well known and thus functions as an allusion. The song is about being able to see the face of God after death. Here is a sampling of the lyrics:
We shall meet to part no more, some bright golden morning,
At the gates of glory where our loved ones stand;
Songs of vict'ry fill the skies in that hour of greeting,
Endless days, endless praise, when we see His face.
The way this hymn functions in The Invisible Man is an example of dramatic irony. The band that is playing the music is unaware that an invisible man, whose face they can not see, is walking on the streets near them. Griffin and the reader are both aware of the irony.
The song's presence also strengthens the connection between Griffin and the Judeo-Christian God. These two entities, although they are very different in levels of benevolence, are similar in several respects. First, both God and Griffin are invisible, as mortals can see neither of them. Second, both have a great deal of power over human affairs, the Judeo-Christian God possessing omnipotence (i.e. infinite power) and Griffin having the ability to get away with crimes. Thirdly, skeptics deny the implausibility of both God and Griffin, insisting that empirical or science-based evidence is necessary to believe in them.
In Chapter 24, Griffin reveals his goal to Mr. Kemp. He wants to impose a Reign of Terror:
Not wanton killing, but a judicious slaying. The point is, they know there is an Invisible Man—as well as we know there is an Invisible Man. And that Invisible Man, Kemp, must now establish a Reign of Terror. Yes; no doubt it’s startling. But I mean it. A Reign of Terror. He must take some town like your Burdock and terrify and dominate it. He must issue his orders. He can do that in a thousand ways—scraps of paper thrust under doors would suffice. And all who disobey his orders he must kill, and kill all who would defend them.
The Reign of Terror is an allusion to a period in the French Revolution. The French Revolution was initially a revolution driven by democratic principles against an unjust monarchy. However, one of the leaders of the French Revolution, Robespierre, took power after the French Revolution’s initial success.
The revolutionaries disposed of the monarchy, but Robespierre was scared about resistance to the French revolutionary ideals, so he became somewhat dictatorial and instituted a completely new calendar, strict laws, and public executions. Later, Robespierre himself was executed when other revolutionaries became dissatisfied with his rule.
Wells uses this allusion to show the degeneration of Griffin. Like Robespierre, Griffin started out with somewhat positive—or at least neutral—intentions: he wanted to engage in scientific discovery. However, when he felt threatened by other people and gained the power to exert his will, he turned to more brutal methods. Griffin wants complete control of the English countryside so that he can rule like a monarch.
The Reign of Terror allusion foreshadows that Griffin will eventually be rejected and killed by the people he attempted to rule—just like Robespierre. In this regard, the events of The Invisible Man warn against the desire for power at the expense of others.
