Character sketches for all the characters in The Invisible Man novel are important, if you want to score well in your CBSE class 12 board examination. The most important characters out of all the characters are : Griffin ( The Invisible Man ), Mrs Hall, Mr Marvel, Dr Kemp. You must study their character sketches. Here I am providing you detailed character sketches of all the characters of The Invisible Man novel.
The Invisible Man Character Sketch
The Invisible Man was given many names in this novel. At first, he was the stranger who arrived at Iping. Then, he was the Voice that startled everybody. However, his real name was Griffin.
Though he was the protagonist of the story, all his deeds were more like that of an antagonist. He was an eccentric scientist. Though he was a gifted scientist, he used his mind in a sinister was. He devised an experiment to become invisible and then started looting and murdering whoever came in his way.
He was very irritable and impatient. He lost his temper over pretty things and started hurting others. He had lost all his sense of conscience and didn’t feel sorry even after his burglary led to his father’s death. Although he was lonely and seemed to have been misunderstood from time to time, he failed to gain sympathy due to his murderous rage and evil ways.
Mrs Hall Character Sketch
Janny Hall, or better known as Mrs Hall, was the owner of the ‘Coach and Horses‘ inn in Iping. The first time we encountered her, she appeared to be an opportunist. She gave the stranger a room in her inn without showing much concern to confirm his identity.
She was a bit money minded. She accommodated with Griffin’s rudeness and awkward behaviour only because she was being paid. However, she had a courteous side also which we see when she tried to know about Griffin.’s physical impairment and showed sympathy towards his state.
She was superstitious and believed that her furniture was haunted. She was a dominating wife and didn’t shy away from giving her husband a lecture.
Moreover, she could put her foot down if required. When she had enough of the stranger’s rudeness, she decided to set him straight and stopped serving him. She replied in such an angry tone that Griffin had to back away.
Mr Hall Character Sketch
George Hall or Mr Hall was the husband of Mrs Hall and drove the Iping conveyance. He was a drunkard and his wife managed the inn on her own. He believed in others quite easily and when Mr Teddy Henfrey told him about Griffin, he at once formed the perception that something unusual was up. He has an investigative side too.
He wanted to know the details about his guest and tried to inspect his room when he found it empty. However, he was only secondary to his wife and was very meek in front of her. He was taken to task by her many times. George was also kind by nature like his wife. When the dog attacked Griffin, he rushed to his room to see if he needed any kind of help.
Mr Teddy Henfrey Character Sketch
Teddy Henfrey was a clock repairman who Mrs Hall used in an attempt to find out more about Griffin. When he arrived, he was taken to Griffin’s room and he was at once startled by his appearance.
He was quite inquisitive by nature and tried to find more about the stranger. He purposely tried to work slowly. But the silence in the room made him nervous. He tried to talk, but got snubbed by Griffin. This irritated him a lot.
He was a also a gossipmonger. When he couldn’t find anything more about the stranger, he started spreading rumours about him. He had a suspicious nature. He was the one who said that the stranger was perhaps wanted by the police and that is why he kept himself covered.
Mr Cuss Character Sketch
Mr Cuss, the general practitioner in the village of Iping, was a curious cat. The bandages of the Invisible Man excited his professional interest. He was also jealous of him when he got to know that he possessed so many bottles of different shapes and size filled with chemicals.
He thought he was smart and devised a plan to arrange an interview with the stranger just to gain more information about him. However, he was scared out of wits when Griffin showed his empty sleeve.
At first he behaved boldly, but ran away when Griffin tweaked his nose by the invisible hand. Though scared, he reacted rationally after coming to his senses.
He thought he had probably gone mad or insane. Later, we see his investigative nature also. He tried to decipher Griffin’s book with the help of Mr Bunting.
Mr Bunting Character Sketch
Mr Bunting was the vicar of the Iping village and thus, was held in very high esteem by his fellow villagers. He was a rational being. When Mr Cuss narrated him the story of his interview with the Invisible Man, he tried to calm him and got his facts right. He grew suspicious about the things that Mr Cuss narrated and considered it to be a “most remarkable story“.
We see that he was also very bold and brave. He tried to decipher Griffin’s book with the help the fact that he had forgotten all his Greek.
Mr Jaffers Character Sketch
Mr Bobby Jaffers was the constable of the Iping village who came with a warrant to arrest the Invisible Man. He appeared to be a resolute man and tool his work rather seriously.
He commented that head or no head, he had to arrest the man and that is what he would do. He was also a very brave man. When the invisible man confronted him, he rapped his point that he was there to arrest him and didn’t shiver. He was strong, but was no match for his invisible enemy and got beaten up.
Thought he couldn’t see the stranger, he thought that it was some kind of trick. He was quick to react and at once realised that the invisible man was trying to escape.
Mr Marvel Character Sketch
Mr Thomas Marvel was a short, fat man. He gave an impression of a tramp – the shabby hat, the charity boots, his clothes and his homeless lifestyle. Being a lazy guy, he did everything in a leisurely manner.
Griffin made him his sidekick even though he himself considered him stupid and good for nothing. He was a coward little man and was unable to standup to Griffin. He became his partner in crime, but cheated him.
He was also an opportunist. The first chance that he got, he tried to sneak away from Griffin, but failed. The second time he manage to run away with all his money and his three books. Hew was very clear in the sense that he himself got arrested as he knew Griffin was after him. Moreover, he kept the three books for himself in hope of solving their mystery – an act of foolishness.
Dr Kemp Character Sketch
Like Griffin, Dr Kemp was also a scientist who lived in Burdock. Actually, they both had gone to the same college. He was a tall and slender young man with flaxen hair and a moustache almost white.
He was ambitious which was clear from the fact that he wanted recognition of his achievements. But then he was also a speculative philosopher. The night that Griffin came to his house Dr Kemp was working on a remote speculation of social conditions of the future.
Kemp is referred to as “the doctor,” but his degree seems to be an academic one rather than a medical one. He continues his own study in hopes of being admitted to “The Royal Fellows”. His own experiments and fascination with science enable him to listen sensibly to Griffin, but in spite of being rather contemptuous of his fellow citizens, his common sense and decency prevent him from being a part of Griffin’s schemes.
He was a calm and sensible man. He didn’t get scared by the invisible intruder. He kept his cool when the murder threat arrived. He laid his own life on the line to get Griffin arrested which showed that he was also very brave.
Hunchback Character Sketch
We encounter the hunchback – a name given by him by Griffin and Dr Kemp – when Griffin narrated the incident that what happened in Drury Lane. Although, we don’t know his name he owned a shabby costume shop.
He was a short, slight, hunched, beetle-browed man, with long arms and very short bandy legs. Griffin sneaked into his shop only to realise that the man had a very sharp hearing sense. He nearly caught Griffin moving here and there in his house. He had no table manners and was irritable.
He was also very cunning. He tried to see who was in his house by sneaking slowly upstairs. He also tried to lock each other and every room of his house so that he could catch the culprit. He was also so clever that Griffin had to knock him down to steal what he wanted.
Colonel Adye Character Sketch
Colonel Adye was the Chief of Police in Burdock. Our first impression of him was that of a brave man. He came running to arrest the Invisible Man residing in Dr Kemp’s house.
Then we see him as a person who took decisions very swiftly. However, blindly followed what Dr Kemp asked him to do and didn’t five his own opinion which showed that instead of being a leader, he was more of a follower.
He was a moral being and opposed the idea of spreading powdered glass on the roads as it was unsportsmanlike. But Dr Kemp pursued and he obliged. We again see a glimpse of his bravery, and foolishness also, when he tried to fight the Invisible Man having a gun. This resulted in his getting shot.
Mr Heelas Character Sketch
Mr Heelas was the next door neighbour of Dr Kemp. He was one of the sturdy minority who refused to believe in the story of the Invisible Man and regarded it as a nonsense even though his wife agreed to it.
When it was proclaimed that everyone should be on high alert, he insisted upon walking about his garden as if nothing had happened. This showed his casual views towards the rumours and his ‘seeing then believing‘ attitude.
However, he came about as coward who would not open his door to help his neighbour in distress. Griffin was after Dr Kemp. When Mr Heelas woke up and saw his neighbour’s house, he at once realised that the Invisible Man was after him. Dr Kemp came running to him, but he denied him entry. Perhaps, he was trying to save his family, but this was not a moral act.