TEACHGYAN • CLASS 10 ENGLISH • FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

Chapter – Footprints Without Feet

Complete NCERT guide • Griffin • invisibility • science and ethics • character analysis • competency practice

📖 Chapter Overview

H. G. Wells’s “Footprints Without Feet” tells the story of Griffin, a scientist who discovers a way to become invisible. Instead of using his discovery responsibly, he uses invisibility for theft, escape and intimidation. The story explores the relationship between scientific knowledge, personal responsibility and ethical choices.

🔬 Griffin’s Discovery

Griffin discovers a method of making the human body transparent. The discovery gives him an extraordinary ability, but it also creates practical problems because an invisible person cannot easily appear in public without revealing himself through clothing or physical traces.

🏠 The Landlord and the Fire

Griffin has difficulty paying rent and is forced to leave his lodging. In anger, he removes his clothes and uses his invisibility to escape. This establishes an important pattern: Griffin possesses scientific ability but repeatedly makes destructive choices.

🛍️ The London Shop

Griffin uses invisibility to enter a large store after closing time. He eats food, drinks, finds warm clothing and later steals items. The episode shows how his scientific discovery is turned toward personal convenience rather than constructive use.

🏨 The Inn at Iping

Griffin travels to Iping and rents a room at an inn. He keeps his face hidden and wears unusual clothing to conceal his invisible body. His strange behaviour makes the people around him suspicious.

💰 The Theft and Escape

When suspicion grows, Griffin uses his invisibility to steal money and escape. The story demonstrates that invisibility does not automatically make him powerful in every situation; he still needs clothing, food and shelter and must deal with ordinary physical limitations.

⚖️ Science and Responsibility

The central ethical question is not whether Griffin is intelligent but how he uses his intelligence. The story shows that scientific discovery without ethical responsibility can become dangerous when personal interests override concern for others.

👤 Character Study: Griffin

• Scientifically capable: he makes an extraordinary discovery.
• Resourceful: he finds practical ways to survive while invisible.
• Secretive: he conceals his identity.
• Self-centred: he repeatedly prioritises his own needs.
• Unethical: he uses his discovery for theft and intimidation.

🎯 Major Themes

• Science and ethics: knowledge carries responsibility.
• Power and misuse: extraordinary ability can be destructive when misused.
• Isolation: Griffin’s condition separates him from ordinary social life.
• Consequences of choices: each unethical decision creates further problems.

📚 Important Vocabulary

Word	Meaning
Transparent	Allowing light to pass through so that objects can be seen
Invisibility	The state of being unable to be seen
Theft	Taking another person’s property without permission
Clergyman	A member of the clergy or religious profession
Suspected	Regarded as possibly responsible for something

🧠 Competency-Based Questions

1. Why is Griffin’s discovery not presented as automatically beneficial?
2. How does Griffin’s behaviour demonstrate the importance of ethics in science?
3. What practical problems does invisibility create for Griffin?
4. How does the story show that power does not remove consequences?

📊 Case-Based Question

🔥 HOTS

1. Was Griffin’s scientific discovery itself harmful, or was the harm caused by his choices? Explain.
2. How does Wells use invisibility to explore human behaviour?
3. What does the story suggest about the limits of power?

✍️ Board-Style Questions

1. How did Griffin become invisible?
2. Why did Griffin have to remove his clothes?
3. How did he survive after becoming invisible?
4. Why did Griffin stay at the inn?
5. Describe Griffin’s character.
6. Explain the theme of science and responsibility.

📝 Practice Worksheet

1. Create a timeline of Griffin’s major actions.
2. Make a cause-and-effect chart of his choices.
3. Define five important terms.
4. Write a 100-word character sketch of Griffin.
5. Write 150 words on science, power and responsibility.

🎯 One-Minute Revision

Griffin discovers invisibility → struggles with practical problems → uses power for theft and deception → becomes increasingly isolated → story raises questions about ethics and responsibility.

🏆 Mastery Checklist

• ☐ I can explain Griffin’s discovery.
• ☐ I can narrate the major incidents.
• ☐ I can analyse Griffin’s character.
• ☐ I can explain science-and-ethics themes.
• ☐ I can answer competency and analytical questions.

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