Gina Johnson
'When the Sleeper Wakes' is a dystopian novel by H.G. Wells, first published in serial form in The Graphic magazine between 1899 and 1903. The story is set in London in the year 1897 and follows Graham, a Victorian man who falls asleep and wakes up 203 years later to a very different London. The novel explores themes of power, wealth, and the consequences of unchecked technological advancement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Genre | Dystopian science fiction |
| Author | H.G. Wells |
| Year of first publication | 1899 |
| Publication type | Serial |
| Publication name | The Graphic |
| Revised edition | The Sleeper Awakes |
| Year of revised edition publication | 1910 |
| Main character | Graham |
| Profession of main character | Radical pamphleteer/insomniac |
| Year Graham falls asleep | 1897 |
| Year Graham wakes up | 2100 |
| Number of years slept | 203 |
| Location | London |
| Ruling body | White Council |
| Leader of the revolution | Ostrog |
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What You'll Learn
The Sleeper wakes up to a transformed London
In H.G. Wells' dystopian novel, 'When the Sleeper Wakes', the protagonist, Graham, falls asleep in 1897 and wakes up 203 years later in a transformed London. Graham, a Victorian man, takes a drug to help with his insomnia, but it sends him into a coma.
Upon waking in the year 2100, Graham is disoriented. The people around him are alarmed as they did not expect him to regain consciousness. The Sleeper's awakening spreads through the city, and a mob gathers, demanding to see the legendary man. Graham is confused as to why he is so special, but those around him refuse to answer his questions. Instead, they place him under house arrest.
Graham eventually learns that he is now the richest and most powerful man in the world. While he slept, he inherited a large sum of money, which was managed and invested by trustees called the White Council. They used his wealth to buy up industries and political entities, establishing a new world order and a vision of social and political dominance. As a result, a plutocracy was formed, and the existing world order, including Parliament and the monarchy in Great Britain, was abolished.
Graham escapes arrest with the help of rebels led by Ostrog, a revolutionary "boss". He finds himself in the midst of a burgeoning revolution, with workers rising up against the oppressive rule of the White Council. Graham reluctantly becomes a figurehead leader of the revolution, with Ostrog as the true leader. Graham's carefree life comes to an end when he realises that, despite the rebellion, the lower classes are still dominated and exploited.
Through Graham's awakening, Wells offers a thought-provoking exploration of a dystopian future society, challenging readers to contemplate the implications of power, wealth, and technological advancement.
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The Sleeper is now the richest man in the world
In H.G. Wells' dystopian novel, *When the Sleeper Wakes*, the protagonist Graham wakes up to find himself in a future where he is now the richest man in the world. Graham, a Victorian man, falls asleep in 1897 and wakes up 203 years later in the year 2100.
Upon waking, Graham is disoriented and alarmed. He soon realises that those around him are also alarmed, but for a different reason—they never expected him to wake up. Word spreads that the "Sleeper" has awakened, and a mob gathers, demanding to see this legendary man. Graham is placed under house arrest and learns that he is now the owner of most of the world. This is because, after he fell asleep, he inherited a large sum of money that was managed and invested by a group called the White Council. The White Council used Graham's wealth to buy up industries and political entities across the world, establishing a new world order and their own vision of political and social dominance.
The White Council wants Graham dead and attempts to assassinate him. However, he is rescued by rebels led by Ostrog, who want Graham to help them rise against the White Council. Graham reluctantly joins them and soon finds himself a figurehead leader of the revolution. Ostrog is the true leader, and this arrangement suits Graham, who leads a carefree life, taking an interest in aeroplanes and learning to fly. From the air, he sees how much his country has changed—all agricultural work has been automated and handled by cities, and everyone now lives and works in one of four massive, windmill-powered metropolises.
Despite his immense wealth and power, Graham's role as leader of the revolution is largely symbolic. The real power lies with Ostrog, who manipulates the situation to seize power for himself. When Graham learns the truth, his carefree life ends as he confronts the reality that the revolution has changed nothing for the lower classes, who continue to be dominated and exploited.
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The White Council wants the Sleeper dead
The White Council, a small elite ruling class, has been managing Graham's wealth while he slept. They have invested his money to buy up industries and political entities across the world, establishing a new world order and solidifying their dominance. However, their actions have led to a plutocracy that has abolished the existing world order, including Parliament and the monarchy in Great Britain.
Upon waking, Graham is disoriented and alarmed by his surroundings. He soon discovers that his awakening has spread through the city, and a mob gathers, demanding to see the legendary Sleeper. Instead of answering his questions, the people around him place him under house arrest. Graham realizes that the White Council has been using his wealth and power to control and oppress the common people, who are now living in poverty.
The rebels, led by Ostrog, help Graham escape from his arrest. They recognize Graham's potential as a figurehead for their revolution against the White Council. Graham reluctantly joins them, unsure of who to trust. During a march, the state police attack the revolutionaries, and Graham meets an old man who reveals the extent of the White Council's evil deeds. The White Council has attempted to assassinate Graham because they fear his power and influence as the Sleeper, knowing that he could disrupt their control and expose their oppressive rule.
The White Council's desire to kill Graham highlights the underlying tension and conflict in the story. It also emphasizes the power dynamics and social inequality present in this dystopian future. Graham, as the Sleeper, becomes a symbol of hope for the oppressed, even though he is initially unaware of the full extent of his power and the impact of his prolonged sleep on the world.
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The Sleeper becomes a figurehead for the revolution
In H.G. Wells' dystopian novel, *When the Sleeper Wakes*, Graham, the protagonist, falls asleep in 1897 and wakes up 203 years later in the year 2100. During his sleep, his wealth has compounded, making him the richest man in the world.
Upon waking, Graham is disoriented and alarmed by his surroundings. He soon learns that he is the legal owner and master of most of the world. The people around him are members of a ruling elite known as the White Council, who have invested his money to buy up industries and political entities across the world, establishing a new world order and their own vision of political and social dominance.
The White Council wants Graham dead and attempts to assassinate him. However, rebels led by the revolutionary "boss" Ostrog help him escape. Graham reluctantly joins the rebels, finding himself in the midst of a burgeoning revolution. The workers, led by Ostrog, are rising up against the oppressive rule of the White Council, which has abolished the existing world order, including Parliament and the monarchy in Great Britain.
During a march, the state police attack the revolutionaries, and in the melee, Graham meets a wizened old man who tells him about the Sleeper. The old man is skeptical of the Sleeper's existence, believing him to be a symbol created by the White Council to brainwash the population. Despite this, the rebels want the Sleeper to assume the role of leader, and Graham agrees to become a figurehead for the revolution, with Ostrog as the true leader. This arrangement suits Graham, who leads a carefree life of leisure and takes an interest in airplanes, learning to fly and observing the changes in his country from above.
As the pseudo-leader, Graham becomes a symbol of hope for the oppressed people, and the conflict between him and the White Council reaches a climax as he leads a direct assault on their stronghold. The outcome of the rebellion and its impact on society are left for the reader to discover.
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The Sleeper's carefree life ends when he learns the revolution has changed nothing for the lower class
In the dystopian novel, "When the Sleeper Wakes", Graham, a Victorian man, falls asleep and wakes up 203 years later in a transformed London. He discovers that he has become the richest man in the world due to compound interest accruing in his bank accounts while he slept.
Graham's awakening causes a stir, and he soon finds himself caught between the rebels, led by Ostrog, and the White Council, who has been managing his wealth and seeks to assassinate him. Graham reluctantly joins the rebels, becoming their figurehead leader, while Ostrog retains power behind the scenes. Graham leads a carefree life, taking an interest in aeroplanes and learning to fly.
However, his carefree existence comes to an end when he learns the harsh reality of the revolution's impact on the lower class. Helen Wotton reveals to him that, despite the upheaval, the lives of the lower class have remained unchanged. They continue to face domination and exploitation, indicating that the revolution has failed to bring about the desired change for this segment of society.
Confronted with this knowledge, Graham questions Ostrog, who admits to the ongoing domination of the lower classes but justifies the system he has put in place. Graham realizes that Ostrog has merely used the revolution to seize power for himself, exploiting Graham's position and influence to further his own agenda. This revelation shatters Graham's illusions about the impact of the revolution and forces him to confront the stark reality of the persistent inequality and oppression faced by the lower class.
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Frequently asked questions
"When the Sleeper Wakes" is a dystopian novel by H.G. Wells, first published in serial form between 1899 and 1903. It centers on Graham, a Victorian man who falls asleep and wakes up 203 years later to find himself in a very different London and himself a very different man.
When Graham wakes up, he is disoriented. The people around him are alarmed as they did not expect him to wake up. Word spreads that the "Sleeper" has awakened and a mob gathers, demanding to see him. Graham is placed under house arrest and learns that he is now the owner of most of the world.
The "White Council" is a small elite group that rules the world in the future that Graham wakes up to. They have invested his wealth to gain political and social dominance, establishing a new world order.
Ostrog is the leader of a group of rebels who help Graham escape from house arrest. He wants Graham to be the figurehead of the revolution against the White Council.
The rebels, led by Ostrog, win the revolution. However, Graham discovers that Ostrog only wanted power for himself and used the revolution to achieve his goals. The novel ends with Graham questioning Ostrog about the true impact of the rebellion.
