FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

 FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

1. Why were the two boys in London surprised?

Answer: The two boys in London were surprised and fascinated because they saw the fresh muddy impressions of a pair of bare feet on the steps of a house in London. The man was not in sight (not visible anywhere).

2. What happened when Griffin didn’t wake up on time? How did he escape from the London store?

Answer: Griffin was still sleeping when the assistants arrived and stared towards him. When Griffin saw two of them approaching, he panicked and began to run. They chased him. He escaped from the London store after taking off his clothes. He became invisible and naked once again.

3. What experiments did Griffin carry out? What was the final result of these experiments?

Answer: Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He conducted many experiments and discovered a drug that if swallowed could make a person invisible. Griffin misused his invention for his personal gains and selfish ends. He became invisible and got involved in lawlessness.

4. Mr Griffin entered the shop of the theatrical company. What did he do there?

Answer: He wore bandages around his forehead. Then he put on dark glasses, a false nose, big bushy side-whiskers and a large hat. He escaped from there after attacking the shopkeeper from behind and robbing him of all the money.

5. What happened to the people who tried to help the constable in catching the invisible man?

Answer: The people who tried to help the constable in catching the invisible man found themselves hit by blows that seemed to come from nowhere.

6. Why did Griffin slip into a big London store? What did he do inside the shop?

Answer: Griffin was wandering on the streets of London in mid-winter. The air outside was chilling cold and he needed clothes to save himself from this unbearable weather. Griffin decided to enter a London store. Griffin broke open the boxes and wrappers and dressed in warm clothes. He ate cold meat and had coffee in the restaurant followed by sweets and wine from the grocery store.

7. Why were the landlord and his wife surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open?

Answer: Griffin always kept his door shut and locked from inside. If anybody entered the room, he was angry. But that morning the door of his room was wide open. This surprised the landlord and his wife.

8. Three extraordinary things happened in the room. What were they?

Answer: The following three things happened in the room
• Mrs Hall heard a sniff quite close to her ears.
• The hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed into her face.
• The bedroom chair sprang into the air and pushed them out of the room.

9. What did the scientist do when he became furious? Why were the people in the bar horrified?

Answer: He threw off his bandages, whiskers, spectacles, and even nose in a minute and became headless. The people in the bar were horrified to see “a headless man”.

10. Why did Griffin want to escape from crowded London?

Answer: Griffin wanted to escape from crowded London because it was becoming difficult for him to hide there.

11. Why was Mr Jaffers, the constable, surprised?

Answer: Mr Jaffers, ‘the constable’, was surprised because he was trying to arrest a man who did not have a head.

12. Why did Griffin set the landlord’s house on fire?

Answer: He set his landlord’s house on fire as the landlord wanted to throw him out because of his bad behaviour.

13. “Discoveries of science can be used for welfare as well as for destruction.” How is this applicable to Griffin’s scientific discovery? How did Griffin bring a bad name to his invention? What values did he lack in his character?

Answer: A true scientist works for the good of humanity. He wants to make man’s life easier, more comfortable and enjoyable. He does not misuse his discoveries for personal gains or selfish ends. But Griffin, though a brilliant scientist, misuses his discovery. Through his experiments, he has been able to make his body transparent and invisible. He uses this discovery to puzzle other people, enters stores and shops unseen, robs people of their money or things and escapes. He sets fire to the house of his landlord who tried to eject him. He steals food, sweets and wine. Griffin brought a bad name to science by misusing his invention. He lacked the values of sensitivity and social behaviour. He was a selfish man with a criminal bent of mind.

14. Griffin was a brilliant scientist but not a true one. What made him a bad scientist? What does it show about his character? How is the value of ‘welfare for all’ important in the life of a scientist?

Answer: Griffin was a brilliant scientist but not a true one. He discovered how a human body could be made transparent. It was an amazing discovery that could be used for the welfare of society. But Griffin misused it. He used it to puzzle others. He disturbed the peace of others. He robbed innocent people. He took revenge upon his landlady. It shows he was not a man of good character. He lacked the value of kindness, cooperation and humility. He was an eccentric dishonest and lawless scientist who brought a bad name to science. He did not understand the value of welfare for all. If he had used his invention for good cause, he would have become immortal and remembered forever.

15. One must be a law-abiding citizen of the country. Griffin lacked this value in his character. How did it make him an undesirable person? How did lawlessness overshadow his greatness as a scientist?

Answer: One must be a law-abiding person. Those who don’t follow rules become a nuisance to society. Griffin was no doubt a brilliant scientist but his lawlessness overshadowed his brilliance. He misused his discovery and disturbed the peace of society. He robbed a storehouse, hit the landlady and the shopkeeper, had a fight with the constable. All these lawless activities of Griffin made him an undesirable person in society. He used his invention for self-interest and for taking revenge upon the people around him.

16. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?

Answer: Certainly, I would like to be invisible if I could. I find a lot of advantages in being invisible. I could easily be a superhero (Krish) and help the authorities to check the anti-social elements. The playground would have been more fun and entertaining with this invisible power. I could play humorous and harmless pranks on my friends and even at home had the privilege of teasing my mother by eating the food stealthily. I think the advantages and disadvantages of a special power depend upon how it is used. So, positive or negative, advantages or disadvantages all depend upon its usage. 

17. Are there forces around us that are invisible, for example, magnetism? Are there aspects of the matter that are ‘invisible’ or not visible to the naked eye? What would the world be like if you could see such forces or such aspects of matter?

Answer: Yes, there are forces around us that are invisible such as magnetism, gravitation, air and electric current. These aspects of the matter are not visible to the naked eye because they cannot be perceived by the sense of sight but these forces can definitely be felt.
The world would have been more adventurous and interesting because we have seen such forces only on paper or in books and never with the eye as of now. The understanding of the components of matter would have been easier and there would probably be no gap and empty spaces in the world.
Above all, Nature would have never been as mysterious and mighty as it is now if we could see some hidden aspects of nature with a naked eye.

18. What makes glass or water transparent (what is the scientific explanation for this)? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible, or transparent? (Keep in mind that writers of science fiction have often turned out to be prophetic in their imagination.)

Answer: The phenomenon of ‘Transparency of Glass and Water’ involves the science of Light. Water and glass do not refract the entire light incident on their surface but refract some of it. This makes glass and water transparent and not opaque. Man has done many wonderful inventions which could not be thought of earlier.
Though it doesn’t seem to be possible nowadays science is capable of doing miracles. It may be possible in the coming centuries.