The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds

by

H. G. Wells

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Henderson Character Analysis

A journalist from London, whom Ogilvy encounters on the road after first seeing the Martian cylinder. Henderson is the first person to actually believe Ogilvy about the cylinder, and he hurries to see for himself. He then goes to the train station and sends a telegraph to London about the mysterious arrival. Along with Ogilvy, Henderson is part of the group of men who approach the cylinder with a white flag in the hopes of communicating with the Martians. Like Ogilvy, though, he is quickly scorched to death by the Heat-Ray.
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Henderson Character Timeline in The War of the Worlds

The timeline below shows where the character Henderson appears in The War of the Worlds. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1, Chapter 2: The Falling Star
News and The Dissemination of Information Theme Icon
...to lock him inside the taproom. Escaping, the astronomer finally finds a London journalist named Henderson, who agrees to accompany him back to the pit. When the two men arrive, the... (full context)
Book 1, Chapter 5: The Heat-Ray
The Other and The Unknown Theme Icon
Evolution and Survival Theme Icon
...pit with a white flag, waving it back and forth. This small delegation (which includes Henderson and Ogilvy) wants to communicate with the Martians. As they come nearer, though, an intense... (full context)
Book 1, Chapter 6: The Heat-Ray in the Chobham Road
News and The Dissemination of Information Theme Icon
Evolution and Survival Theme Icon
...many people in Woking don’t even know the cylinder has opened, though before he died Henderson sent a messenger to report the news to a local paper. Along with another astronomer,... (full context)
Book 1, Chapter 8: Friday Night
Order, Subordination, and Hierarchy Theme Icon
The Other and The Unknown Theme Icon
News and The Dissemination of Information Theme Icon
...did not make the sensation that an ultimatum to Germany would have done.” The telegram Henderson sent to London doesn’t even make it into print, since his newspaper thinks it’s a... (full context)