Griffin’s notebooks are his only record of his scientific theories and experiments. They are written in “cipher,” or code. Griffin is highly protective of them, both because he values the information inside and because he is worried that other people will find it and take credit for his findings themselves. Crucially, Griffin refuses to publish them himself. He does not seek recognition for making himself invisible within the academic community; rather, he wants a broader kind of glory and fame from the world at large. Although he uses his invisibility to steal money and items such as food and clothing, Griffin’s notebooks are the only possessions he seems to truly value. This is why he is so devastated when they fall into the hands of Marvel, resolving to get them back at any cost (even if this means killing Marvel). Griffin is ultimately unsuccessful in this mission, and is killed before he can get the notebooks back. At the end of the novel it is revealed that they remain in Marvel’s possession, although he cannot read them. The notebooks thus come to symbolize both scientific advancement and the ways in which many ordinary people are prevented from accessing scientific knowledge.
Griffin’s Notebooks Symbol Timeline in The Invisible Man
