Evie Summers
H.G. Wells' novel, *When the Sleeper Wakes*, is a dystopian science fiction story that was first published in serial form in 1899. The novel centres on Graham, a Victorian man who falls into a deep coma and wakes up 203 years later in a transformed London. Graham discovers that he is now the richest man in the world, and the legal owner of most of the planet. However, he is out of touch with the new world and becomes a puppet ruler, manipulated by the revolutionary leader Ostrog. The novel explores themes of power, revolution, and the potential dangers of a future where big business controls the world. Despite its influence on later dystopian works, some readers have found the novel disappointing due to its abrupt ending and outdated science.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ending | Disappointing, abrupt, rushed, and ambiguous |
| Author's opinion | "Marks of haste not only in the writing of the latter part, but in the very construction of the story" |
| Author's intent | To revise before publishing, but fell ill |
| Setting | Dystopian, futuristic |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Main character | Graham, an 1890s radical pamphleteer |
| Conflict | Revolution against the White Council |
| Themes | Power, wealth, social and political change, technology |
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What You'll Learn
The story's protagonist, Graham, is a Victorian man and an insomniac
When Graham finally wakes, he finds himself in a completely transformed London. Due to compound interest on his bank accounts, he has become the richest man in the world and the legal owner of most of the planet. The world has drastically changed during his long sleep, and his wealth has been used to establish a vast political and economic world order. The people around him are alarmed by his awakening, and a mob gathers, demanding to see the fabled Sleeper. Graham is placed under house arrest and learns that the White Council, the trustees of his wealth, want him dead.
Rebels led by the revolutionary Ostrog help Graham escape, and they encourage him to lead the people in a revolution against the White Council. Graham is reluctant but goes along with them. He soon becomes a puppet ruler, with Ostrog holding the real power. Graham takes an interest in aeroplanes and learns to fly, discovering from the air that agriculture has become industrialized, and everyone now lives in one of four huge, windmill-powered cities.
Graham's carefree life comes to an end when he realizes that the revolution has changed nothing for the lower classes, who are still dominated and exploited. He confronts Ostrog, who admits that he only wanted power for himself. In the end, Graham and Ostrog face off in a plane-to-plane battle, and Graham is defeated by his former ally.
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He falls into a coma and wakes up 203 years later
In H.G. Wells' dystopian novel, *When the Sleeper Wakes*, Graham, a Victorian man and radical pamphleteer living in London in the 1890s, is suffering from insomnia. He decides to take a drug to help him sleep, but instead falls into a deep coma. He sleeps for 203 years, waking up in the year 2100 to a very different London.
Upon waking, Graham discovers that he is now the richest man in the world. Due to compound interest on his bank accounts, his wealth has grown exponentially during his long sleep. The trustees of his estate, known as the "White Council", have used his money to buy up industries and political entities across the world, establishing a plutocracy and sweeping aside the existing world order.
The people around Graham are alarmed by his awakening. A mob gathers, demanding to see the fabled Sleeper. Graham is placed under house arrest and learns that the White Council wants him dead. Rebels led by the revolutionary Ostrog help him escape, hoping that he will lead their uprising against the White Council. Graham reluctantly joins them, unsure of who to trust.
Graham soon discovers that, despite the revolution, the lower classes are still dominated and exploited. Ostrog has only used the uprising to seize power for himself. Graham becomes a puppet ruler, leading a carefree life. He develops an interest in aeroplanes and learns how to fly. From the air, he sees that the country has changed drastically during his sleep. All agriculture has become industrialised, and everyone now lives and works in one of four huge, windmill-powered cities.
In the end, Graham and Ostrog face off against each other in a plane battle. Graham launches an attack, but he is defeated by Ostrog and crashes to the Earth.
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He is now the richest man in the world
In H.G. Wells' novel, "When the Sleeper Wakes", Graham is the richest man in the world. Graham, a Victorian man, falls asleep in 1897 and wakes up 203 years later in a transformed London. While he was asleep, his wealth had been placed in a trust and the trustees, known as the "White Council", used his money to buy up industries and political entities, establishing a plutocracy that controlled half the world.
Graham's new status as the richest man in the world sets off a chain of events that form the basis of the novel's plot. Upon waking, Graham finds himself in a strange new world and is alarmed by the changes around him. He is also placed under house arrest as the people around him, who had not expected him to wake up, are scared and demand to see the "Sleeper". Rebels led by Ostrog help Graham escape, as they believe that the people need Graham's leadership to rise against the White Council. Ostrog tells Graham that the rebels have won and that the people want the Sleeper to rule. Graham becomes a puppet ruler, with Ostrog holding the real power.
Graham's carefree life comes to an end when he learns that the revolution has not changed anything for the lower class, who are still dominated and exploited. He confronts Ostrog, who admits that he only wanted power for himself and used Graham to achieve it. Graham and Ostrog face off in a plane battle, with Graham launching an attack. However, his plane is defeated and he crashes to the ground, defeated by his former ally.
The ending of the novel has been described as abrupt and disappointing, with Wells himself acknowledging that it was rushed due to his ill health and other writing commitments. Despite this, "When the Sleeper Wakes" is a notable work of dystopian science fiction that has influenced many other stories and remains an interesting exploration of power, politics, and the potential future of humanity.
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He is met with a revolution led by Ostrog
In the dystopian novel, "When the Sleeper Wakes", Graham, a radical pamphleteer from the 1890s, eagerly awaits the turn of the century. However, his insomnia worsens, and he decides to take drugs to help him sleep. Unfortunately, the drugs cause him to fall into a deep coma, and he sleeps for 203 years.
When Graham finally wakes up, he finds himself in a vastly different London. Due to compound interest on his bank accounts, he has become the richest man in the world and the legal owner of most of the planet. The trustees of his wealth, known as the "White Council", have used his money to establish a plutocracy, buying up industries and political entities to create a new world order.
As word spreads that the "Sleeper" has awakened, a mob gathers, demanding to see him. Graham is met with suspicion and is placed under house arrest. However, rebels led by Ostrog help him escape, believing that the people need Graham's leadership to rise against the White Council. Ostrog tells Graham that the rebels have won and that the people want the Sleeper to rule.
Graham agrees to lead the revolution, but he is merely a figurehead, as Ostrog is the true power behind the throne. Ostrog manipulates Graham and uses the revolution to seize power for himself. Graham leads a carefree life, pursuing his interest in aeroplanes and learning how to fly. From the air, he sees the drastic changes that have taken place in his country. Agriculture has become industrialised, and the population is now concentrated in four huge cities powered by windmills.
Despite his privileged position, Graham's conscience is pricked when Helen Wotton reveals to him that the revolution has changed nothing for the lower class, who are still dominated and exploited. Graham confronts Ostrog, who admits that the workers in other cities continue to rebel even after the fall of the White Council. The novel ends with Graham and Ostrog facing off in a plane-to-plane battle, with Graham launching an unsuccessful attack on his former ally. Graham's plane crashes, and he spirals towards Earth, defeated and disillusioned.
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Graham's rule is a puppet rule, with Ostrog holding the true power
H.G. Wells' novel, "When the Sleeper Wakes", features a protagonist named Graham, a Victorian man and an 1890s radical pamphleteer who is eager to welcome the 20th century. Graham is an insomniac and, in 1897, decides to take drugs to cure his worsening insomnia, only to fall into a deep coma. He sleeps for 203 years and wakes up in the year 2100 to a transformed London. Due to the compound interest on his bank accounts, he has become the richest man in the world and the legal owner of most of the planet.
However, Graham's newfound wealth and power make him a target. The "White Council", which has used his wealth to establish a vast political and economic world order, now wants him dead and attempts an assassination. Graham is saved by rebels led by the revolutionary Ostrog, who convince him to join their cause. Ostrog manipulates Graham into becoming a figurehead ruler while he holds the true power.
Graham's carefree life comes to an end when he learns from Helen Wotton that the revolution has changed nothing for the lower class, who are still dominated and exploited. Ostrog admits that he only wanted power for himself and has used Graham to achieve his goals. In the end, Graham and Ostrog face off in a plane battle, with Ostrog emerging victorious and Graham crashing to Earth, defeated.
The novel presents a dystopian vision of the future, where big business runs the world and the two-party system is abolished. It reflects Wells' concerns about the potential negative consequences of unchecked capitalism and the abuse of power. The rushed ending, due to Wells' illness and overwork, adds to the sense of abruptness and ambiguity in the conclusion of "When the Sleeper Wakes".
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Frequently asked questions
'When the Sleeper Wakes' is a dystopian novel by H.G. Wells about a man, Graham, who falls asleep in 1897 and wakes up 203 years later in a transformed London. Graham is now the richest man in the world due to compound interest on his bank accounts. He soon becomes entangled in a revolution against the White Council, who have used his wealth to establish a vast political and economic world order.
H.G. Wells himself admitted that the ending of the novel was rushed. He wrote that the book "was written under considerable pressure; there are marks of haste not only in the writing of the latter part, but in the very construction of the story". Wells fell ill after completing the book and never got the chance to make any significant revisions before it was published.
At the end of the novel, Graham and Ostrog face off in a plane-to-plane battle. Graham's attack on Ostrog fails, and his plane crashes. Ostrog emerges as the victor.
Some readers were disappointed by 'When the Sleeper Wakes', calling it "very boring" and "not one of [Wells's] better stories". Others criticised the book for its ""ugly unapologetic racism". However, one reader acknowledged that the novel was a "great read" as a "seminal work establishing sci-fi".
