THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS - Literature Notes
|
'You'll find it on the records that on Tuesday, May 7, the Earth's orbit passed through a cloud of comet debris. You can even believe it, if you like - millions did. Maybe it was so ..... I had to spend the evening in my bed listening to eye witness accounts of what was constantly claimed to be the most remarkable celestial spectacle on record.' (Wyndham, 4) John Wyndham was a British Science Fiction writer whose works were mostly set in post-apocalyptic landscape. He was born on July 10, 1903 and died in 1969, but his vision of the world, as seen through his novels and short stories, is still relevant today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wyndham |
JOHN WYNDHAM'S BOOKS
SUMMARY
This novel tells of the days, months and years that follow when most of the world's population goes blind. This event occurs after the Earth's orbit passes through a cloud of comet debris. The result was a beautiful light show that most of the world witnessed. These individuals, however, opened their eyes to a very dark world on the following day. The only people who escaped blindness were the people who, for some reason or other, did not view the light show. Among this select few are our protagonists, William and Josella, along with different bands of people that they encounter on their journey. While both the newly blinded and the sighted fight to survive, a new enemy, in the form of the formerly harmless Triffids, rear their heads. The Triffids are described, by William, as biological accidents that saved the world because they produced an oil that revolutionized the energy industry. However, these harmless and valuable plants became predators to the helpless newly blind because they would attack, poison, then slowly eat their prey. Our protagonists are separated early in the novel, but we see William's journey, through the various towns in the UK as well as different groups of survivors, to find Josetta. When they meet again, they stay together and form a small community in an isolated town. Life is as good as it can get for them, except for the constant threat of the Triffids, as well as Neo- Feudalists who hope to establish a new order. They eventually find sanctuary on the Isle of White, and become a part of history as one of the settlers of the new colony.
SETTING
CHARACTERS
William Masen
Josella Playton
Michael Beadley
Wilfred Coker
Miss Durant
Walter Lucknor
Umberto Christoforo Palanguez
Susan
MINOR CHARACTERS
SUMMARY
Chapter 1 - The End Begins
We learn that William missed the end of the world because he was in hospital, with his eyes bandaged. He recounts that on Tuesday, the day before the story opens, there was a comet, along with an accompanying light show that the world had paused to watch. It is on this premise that he asserts that today, the day that the story begins, is Wednesday. This assertion is made alongside the very uneasy impression that the day felt like a Sunday. This was due to the distinct lack of city noises, as well as a disturbance in the hospital's routine. He waited for assistance,but none came, so he took off his bandages and ventured outside of room 48. As William makes his way to the ground floor, he encounters blind patients moving aimlessly about, as well as a few accidental deaths. He leaves the hospital in a panic and goes to the first pub that he sees. He encounters the owner of the pub, who confirms that everyone in the world is blind except for William. He also makes the connection with the comet and the pervasive blindness in the city.
Chapter 2 - The Coming of the Triffids
William tells us that he worked with the triffids - plants that were the result of a series of ingenious biological meddlings - in the capacity of a biologist. He was involved in the fight to increase food production, and it is in this capacity that he learnt about Umberto Christoforo Palanguez, the person - who he theorized - that was responsible for the spread of the Triffids around the world. William tells the reader that he was introduced to a Triffid as a child because one was growing in his garden, and had stung him. The fact that they could walk initially caused quiet a stir, but it died down when the novelty wore off. It was later discovered that the Triffids were carnivorous and stung, and research was intensified to ascertain its true nature. Triffids then gained the interest of large companies who began to farm Triffids on a large scale in order to extract its valuable oils and juices. Walter Lucknor, William's friend, is introduced at this point and offers valuable insight and analysis into the behaviour of the Triffids. William tells the reader that he ended up in the hospital because he had gotten stung by a Triffid one day at work, and ended up in the hospital for a week. He pondered getting a transfer, or changing his job, while sequestered in the hospital bed.
Chapter 3 - The Groping City
William leaves the pub and heads in the direction of London. He encounters many of the newly blind groping through the streets, but eventually he encounters a 'normally' blind person. He also encounters a little sighted girl, navigating her mother along, as well as a drunken sighted man, leading a large group of the newly blind.
Chapter 4 - Shadows Before
William's conscience tells him that he should help the newly blind, but his instincts tell him not to do so. He followed his instincts, which turned out to be right, because he witnesses the abuse that is heaped upon a woman who could see, by a sightless man who was using her for his eyes. He rescues the young lady and takes her to a pub to recuperate. He discovers that his new ally is Josella Playton. She escaped being blind because she was suffering from a hangover on the night of the comet. She had taken sleeping pills and had slept through the whole event. They find a car and head for Josella's house, where the first thing they encounter is a Triffid. They enter the house and find that Triffids have attacked the inhabitants.
Chapter 5 - A Light in the Night
Josella and William head for Clerkenwell, where they make the best Triffid guns and masks in the world, because the Triffids are attacking humans. They obtain their guns and mask, then locate an apartment to rest for the night. It is in this building, when he was leaving to hunt some necessities, that he witnesses his second suicide for the day. William collects necessities and then returns to the apartment and prepares a meal for himself and Josella. They discuss their next move, then turn in for the night. Josella, however, wakes William up in the middle of the night because she sees a light. They decide to try and locate the source of the light the following day.
Chapter 6 - Rendezvous
Our heroes decide to head for the University Tower, the suspected origin of the light, after breakfast. There they meet a band of thirty five survivors, of which only seven were blind. They were accepted into the group and set out to hunt for supplies. They were very successful in their hunt, and even managed to accumulate more Triffid guns.
Chapter 7 - Conference
The meeting consisted of nearly a hundred people, headed by a small number of people who had formed a committee. The leaders reassure the other survivors, appraised them of the survival plans, but failed to tell them where they planned to go. The sociologist of the group points out that blind men are not welcome, but blind women are, for they will produce sighted babies. The focus is on procreation. Our heroes decide to procreate with each other when the time comes, but Josella suggests that their new society might be polygamous, and volunteers to choose the two additional blind partners for their relationship.
Chapter 8 - Frustrated
William awakes to a fire. He joins the crowd of people trying to exit the building, but falls and becomes unconscious. He awakens to the realization that he has been captured, as well as separated from Josella, but he is treated with civility. He tries to get a message to Josella, but is denied. He is given a route to go scavenge with a group of the newly blinded and the first thing William does is find them a place to live. He scavenges with them, and they adopt him as their leader. They depend on him to know what to do about the sick and to protect them from Triffid attacks. He awakened one morning to the smell of death and decay and knew it was time to leave.
Chapter 9 - Evacuation
William armed himself and then left for Westminster. He went to the University building, but found it deserted, with only an address written in chalk on a door. He decides to travel to that address in the early morning. He goes to the square for a final look and encounters Coker. They call a truce and decided to travel together in separate trucks.
Chapter 10 - Tynsham
William and Coker encounter a group of survivors in Tynsham and stayed to lend a hand. They meet Miss Durant, who outlines the type of community that she has formed; one with peaceful Christian values where violence is not tolerated. She informs them that she split from the university group, who felt themselves to be superior to God. Coker managed to get the electricity going and began a spirited discussion with one of Miss Durant's converted young ladies. They form the conclusion that Miss Durant's group is negative, they do not want to adapt to the changing times.
Chapter 11 - And Farther On
William realizes that his hopes were pinned on finding Josella in Tynsham. He also realizes that his desire to join Beasly's group was overshadowed by the need to find Josella. William then proceeded to annoy everyone with inquiries about Josella, while Coker annoys Miss Durant with useful and practical suggestions to run her community. William decides to move on and try to find Beadly's group, and by extension Josella, and Coker decides to follow him because he belives that Miss Durant's group will fail on the basis of improper organization. Coker believes that they need to teach the newly blind to work, so that the sighted are not placed under so much strain. William learns that Beadley's group is heading to somewhere near Beaminster in Dorset, from a grudging Miss Durant. They leave the group and make three stops on the way, one of which heralded a Triffid attack. They arrive safely to their destination.
Chapter 12 - Dead End
They encounter a group of people that were, unfortunately, not Beadley's group, and didn't know of Beadley's group. The little group had found an arms depot and was prepared to fight newcomers. William assured them that this would not happen, based on the situation in the major cities. The newly formed group decided to split up and survey their environment. They returned, despondent at what they had seen. They then decided to find a helicopter and use it to locate other groups like themselves, and by extension, find Josella. They located the groups, but not Josella, and most people were convinced that the Americans would come to save them. Coker then proposes to the group that they must begin preparations for the future. He proposes to return to Miss Durant's group because they have the best infrastructure for success in this new environment. Everyone adopts Coker's idea, except William, who decides to renew his search for Josella elsewhere, namely Sussex Downs.
Chapter 13 - Journey in Hope
William journeys alone for miles and is plagued by loneliness and depression. While passing through a town he picked up a little girl, Susan, who became his travelling companion. They stop for the night and Susan explains the trauma of being utterly alone. William and Susan scavenge and they find a light that they used like a searchlight. It brought the result of someone flashing them a light as well. They locate Josella after a long rainy ride.
Chapter 14 - Shirning
William wants to take Josella to rejoin Coker, but his plan is complicated by Dennis, Mary and Joyce, the inhabitants of the farm who have welcomed Josella as their eyes. The reader hears of the little group's loss of two of its members, and Denis' valiant trips into the village and back, battling Triffid attacks the whole way. One of their company could not be moved, due to a Triffid attack that she was still recovering from. Therefore the group, Susan and William included, could not leave Shirning for a while. It became William's duty to scourge and forage for the group, and Susan's duty to destroy the many Triffids that were about. Josella tells William that her group of newly blinded, back in London, had met the same end as his, and that she had gone back to the University building to find him. Ironically, it was William's shooting of a Triffid on the compound that had scared her away, and prompted her journey to Shirning. Mary has a sighted baby during their stay and they try to make the best of the situation. William makes a trip to Tynsham, to negotiate and prepare for their move, but finds it deserted and Triffid infested. He returns with the bad news. They decided to try to survive in Shirning, as if no help would come.
Chapter 15 - World Narrowing
William erected a fence to keep the Triffids out and went about the troublesome business of learning to farm. He waited a year to visit London, on a scrounging mission, and found that nature had slowly taken over. He made his final trip to London in the fourth year, and never returned again because the car's rumbling had brought down a building. He turned his sights to Brighton for scourging, but a 'keep out' sign and shots told him to look elsewhere. He armed himself after that visit. Josella had her first baby and William renewed his efforts to ensure the little group's survival. It is during this period that they begin to notice that Triffid population had grown and Susan suggests that the noise that they make brings them. They set several traps for the Triffids, but each trap only works once. The Triffids broke in one day and they burnt them with the flame throwers. They broke in again four months later. The attacks continued sporadically, as well as the retaliations. Josella and William take a trip to the coast and discuss the Triffid problem. William proposes that the comet might not have been an accident either, that humans might have brought it down on themselves. They collected their supplies and were picnicking when heard a plane.
Chapter 16 - Contact
They near home and see smoke. They rush home and find the helicopter on their front lawn. It turns out to be Ivan Simpson, a member of Beadley's group. Ivan told them that Beadley's group had found an estate and spent some time there. However, they decided to move because of the Triffid threat. They decided that an island would do, namely the Isle of White. He told them how they cleared it, and do so every spring, as well as the presence of tribal groups that shun organization. He also told them the story of how Coker's group survived. They had also encountered similar Triffid issues and decided to move to an area with a river boundary and fence. When Beadley's group discovered them, they decided to uproot immediately. They were issued an invitation to the Isle of White, and if they did not wish to stay, they could go to the Channel Isle. William thought about it and decided to leave. The Triffids had time to wait for their prey, while the prey watched their resources dwindle.
Chapter 17 - Strategic Withdrawal
Torrence, in the form of a military leader, comes in and offers William a feudal seigneury. He made it clear that twenty newly blinded would join them and they would live off cattle fodder. He proposes that groups such as William's would depend on them, Torrence and his group, for protection, and the major aim would be to raise an army in order to ensure world dominance. He makes it clear that he intends to take Susan back to head quarters where she will provide useful service, for only two sighted adults are allowed in a unit. William pacified him by appearing docile and told everyone to do the same. William unobtrusively left to fill his tank with gas, and Torrence's strange vehicle with honey. While the visitors slept, the group went into their vehicle and ripped through the fence to make their escape. They stopped to clear their vehicle of debris, then head for the Isle of White. Their story, at this juncture, joined with Elspeth Cary's excellent history of the colony.
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
http://www.prirodniskola.cz/media/files/John_Wyndham_-_The_Day_Of_The_Triffids.pdf
- The Day of the Triffids
- The Kraken Wakes
- The Chrysalids
- The Midwich Cuckoos
- The Outward Urge
- Trouble with Lichen
- Chocky
SUMMARY
This novel tells of the days, months and years that follow when most of the world's population goes blind. This event occurs after the Earth's orbit passes through a cloud of comet debris. The result was a beautiful light show that most of the world witnessed. These individuals, however, opened their eyes to a very dark world on the following day. The only people who escaped blindness were the people who, for some reason or other, did not view the light show. Among this select few are our protagonists, William and Josella, along with different bands of people that they encounter on their journey. While both the newly blinded and the sighted fight to survive, a new enemy, in the form of the formerly harmless Triffids, rear their heads. The Triffids are described, by William, as biological accidents that saved the world because they produced an oil that revolutionized the energy industry. However, these harmless and valuable plants became predators to the helpless newly blind because they would attack, poison, then slowly eat their prey. Our protagonists are separated early in the novel, but we see William's journey, through the various towns in the UK as well as different groups of survivors, to find Josetta. When they meet again, they stay together and form a small community in an isolated town. Life is as good as it can get for them, except for the constant threat of the Triffids, as well as Neo- Feudalists who hope to establish a new order. They eventually find sanctuary on the Isle of White, and become a part of history as one of the settlers of the new colony.
SETTING
- St. Merryn's Hospital, London
- University Tower, London
- Tynsham
- Dorset
- Sussex Downs
- Shirning
- Isle of White
CHARACTERS
William Masen
- The protagonist of the story.
- His eyes were bandaged during the passing of the comet, therefore he retained his sight.
- He was a disappointment to his father because he had no head for figures.
- William's parents were killed together in a holiday airbus crash when he was a young adult.
- He worked with triffids.
- He was in the hospital for a triffid sting across his eyes.
- He shows extreme bravery in the face of a changing and devolving world.
- He shows extreme perseverance in his search for Josetta.
- He shows extreme kindness in his care and concern for the blind group that he leads, as well as the little girl, Susan, that becomes his travel partner.
Josella Playton
- One of the first sighted people that William encounters.
- He saved her from a blind man who was using her as his eyes, and physically abusing her.
- She stayed with William after he saved her.
- She is a famous novelist who wrote a book called Sex is My Adventure.
- She is separated from William at one point, but they eventually meet up again at Shilling.
- Josella and William become life partners and eventually have a son.
- She is an incredibly pragmatic and unselfish person who was, initially, willing to enter into a polygamous relationship with William, in order to save some of the newly blind girls.
Michael Beadley
- The leader of the sighted survivors at University Tower.
- They believed that the newly blind could not be saved.
- They are a group of intellectuals who believe that no help is on the way, so they have to fend for themselves.
- They wanted to start a new society, in the ashes of the old, where the sighted reigned supreme.
- They had no room for newly blind men, but they would accept a few blind women because they would produce sighted children.
- Their focus is on procreation, and eventually the rebuildingt of the human race.
Wilfred Coker
- He champions the newly blind by capturing people with sight to lead them and ensure their survival.
- A very intelligent gentleman who is always willing to champion a good cause.
- He and William become friends when they travel together to find Josella and Beadley's group.
- He is a chamelian who is comfortable among intellectuals, as well as the lower classes.
- He believed that survival in the new world entailed not just hard work, but working smart. This entailed living communally and working smartly to rebuild the human race.
Miss Durant
- Leader of the break away group that was once a part of Beadley's group.
- They have adopted a cooperative philosophy based on Christian values.
- She is very proud and doesn't like to ask for help.
- She believes that help is on the way, they just have to survive while they wait for rescue.
- Her group does not survive because they did not work smartly, but simply took in as many newly blind as they could assist.
Walter Lucknor
- William's friend
- He had an inspired knack with the Trippids.
- Walter believed that the Trippids talked to each other and were, therefore, intelligent.
- He also posited the theory that the only thing that humans had over them was sight, take human sight away, and the Trippids would be the hunters. His theory was correct.
Umberto Christoforo Palanguez
- A theory states that he introduced the Triffids to the world accidentally.
- He introduced a new type of oil to a company called The Arctic and European Fish Oil Company, but they discovered that it was Triffid oil. It was believed that his plane crashed and the Triffid seeds that he was transporting was dispersed around the world.
Susan
- A little girl that William encounters near Shirling.
- She accompanies him on his journey to find Josella.
- She becomes like a daughter to Josella and William.
- Eventually, when she gets older, she is entrusted with the running of their home.
MINOR CHARACTERS
- pub owner - appraised William of the state of things at the beginning of the story. He and his family commit suicide due to their blindness.
- Stephen/ radioman/ Stephen's girlfriend - a small group of survivors that William and Coker encounter in Dorset. They travelled with Coker to rejoin Miss Durant's group in Tynsham.
- Dennis and Mary Brent/ Joyce - The group that William and Susan encounter in Shirning.
- Torrence - We first meet him in the first days of blindness, helping a blind group. He shows up in the final chapter as the leader of a neo-feudal plan.
SUMMARY
Chapter 1 - The End Begins
We learn that William missed the end of the world because he was in hospital, with his eyes bandaged. He recounts that on Tuesday, the day before the story opens, there was a comet, along with an accompanying light show that the world had paused to watch. It is on this premise that he asserts that today, the day that the story begins, is Wednesday. This assertion is made alongside the very uneasy impression that the day felt like a Sunday. This was due to the distinct lack of city noises, as well as a disturbance in the hospital's routine. He waited for assistance,but none came, so he took off his bandages and ventured outside of room 48. As William makes his way to the ground floor, he encounters blind patients moving aimlessly about, as well as a few accidental deaths. He leaves the hospital in a panic and goes to the first pub that he sees. He encounters the owner of the pub, who confirms that everyone in the world is blind except for William. He also makes the connection with the comet and the pervasive blindness in the city.
Chapter 2 - The Coming of the Triffids
William tells us that he worked with the triffids - plants that were the result of a series of ingenious biological meddlings - in the capacity of a biologist. He was involved in the fight to increase food production, and it is in this capacity that he learnt about Umberto Christoforo Palanguez, the person - who he theorized - that was responsible for the spread of the Triffids around the world. William tells the reader that he was introduced to a Triffid as a child because one was growing in his garden, and had stung him. The fact that they could walk initially caused quiet a stir, but it died down when the novelty wore off. It was later discovered that the Triffids were carnivorous and stung, and research was intensified to ascertain its true nature. Triffids then gained the interest of large companies who began to farm Triffids on a large scale in order to extract its valuable oils and juices. Walter Lucknor, William's friend, is introduced at this point and offers valuable insight and analysis into the behaviour of the Triffids. William tells the reader that he ended up in the hospital because he had gotten stung by a Triffid one day at work, and ended up in the hospital for a week. He pondered getting a transfer, or changing his job, while sequestered in the hospital bed.
Chapter 3 - The Groping City
William leaves the pub and heads in the direction of London. He encounters many of the newly blind groping through the streets, but eventually he encounters a 'normally' blind person. He also encounters a little sighted girl, navigating her mother along, as well as a drunken sighted man, leading a large group of the newly blind.
Chapter 4 - Shadows Before
William's conscience tells him that he should help the newly blind, but his instincts tell him not to do so. He followed his instincts, which turned out to be right, because he witnesses the abuse that is heaped upon a woman who could see, by a sightless man who was using her for his eyes. He rescues the young lady and takes her to a pub to recuperate. He discovers that his new ally is Josella Playton. She escaped being blind because she was suffering from a hangover on the night of the comet. She had taken sleeping pills and had slept through the whole event. They find a car and head for Josella's house, where the first thing they encounter is a Triffid. They enter the house and find that Triffids have attacked the inhabitants.
Chapter 5 - A Light in the Night
Josella and William head for Clerkenwell, where they make the best Triffid guns and masks in the world, because the Triffids are attacking humans. They obtain their guns and mask, then locate an apartment to rest for the night. It is in this building, when he was leaving to hunt some necessities, that he witnesses his second suicide for the day. William collects necessities and then returns to the apartment and prepares a meal for himself and Josella. They discuss their next move, then turn in for the night. Josella, however, wakes William up in the middle of the night because she sees a light. They decide to try and locate the source of the light the following day.
Chapter 6 - Rendezvous
Our heroes decide to head for the University Tower, the suspected origin of the light, after breakfast. There they meet a band of thirty five survivors, of which only seven were blind. They were accepted into the group and set out to hunt for supplies. They were very successful in their hunt, and even managed to accumulate more Triffid guns.
Chapter 7 - Conference
The meeting consisted of nearly a hundred people, headed by a small number of people who had formed a committee. The leaders reassure the other survivors, appraised them of the survival plans, but failed to tell them where they planned to go. The sociologist of the group points out that blind men are not welcome, but blind women are, for they will produce sighted babies. The focus is on procreation. Our heroes decide to procreate with each other when the time comes, but Josella suggests that their new society might be polygamous, and volunteers to choose the two additional blind partners for their relationship.
Chapter 8 - Frustrated
William awakes to a fire. He joins the crowd of people trying to exit the building, but falls and becomes unconscious. He awakens to the realization that he has been captured, as well as separated from Josella, but he is treated with civility. He tries to get a message to Josella, but is denied. He is given a route to go scavenge with a group of the newly blinded and the first thing William does is find them a place to live. He scavenges with them, and they adopt him as their leader. They depend on him to know what to do about the sick and to protect them from Triffid attacks. He awakened one morning to the smell of death and decay and knew it was time to leave.
Chapter 9 - Evacuation
William armed himself and then left for Westminster. He went to the University building, but found it deserted, with only an address written in chalk on a door. He decides to travel to that address in the early morning. He goes to the square for a final look and encounters Coker. They call a truce and decided to travel together in separate trucks.
Chapter 10 - Tynsham
William and Coker encounter a group of survivors in Tynsham and stayed to lend a hand. They meet Miss Durant, who outlines the type of community that she has formed; one with peaceful Christian values where violence is not tolerated. She informs them that she split from the university group, who felt themselves to be superior to God. Coker managed to get the electricity going and began a spirited discussion with one of Miss Durant's converted young ladies. They form the conclusion that Miss Durant's group is negative, they do not want to adapt to the changing times.
Chapter 11 - And Farther On
William realizes that his hopes were pinned on finding Josella in Tynsham. He also realizes that his desire to join Beasly's group was overshadowed by the need to find Josella. William then proceeded to annoy everyone with inquiries about Josella, while Coker annoys Miss Durant with useful and practical suggestions to run her community. William decides to move on and try to find Beadly's group, and by extension Josella, and Coker decides to follow him because he belives that Miss Durant's group will fail on the basis of improper organization. Coker believes that they need to teach the newly blind to work, so that the sighted are not placed under so much strain. William learns that Beadley's group is heading to somewhere near Beaminster in Dorset, from a grudging Miss Durant. They leave the group and make three stops on the way, one of which heralded a Triffid attack. They arrive safely to their destination.
Chapter 12 - Dead End
They encounter a group of people that were, unfortunately, not Beadley's group, and didn't know of Beadley's group. The little group had found an arms depot and was prepared to fight newcomers. William assured them that this would not happen, based on the situation in the major cities. The newly formed group decided to split up and survey their environment. They returned, despondent at what they had seen. They then decided to find a helicopter and use it to locate other groups like themselves, and by extension, find Josella. They located the groups, but not Josella, and most people were convinced that the Americans would come to save them. Coker then proposes to the group that they must begin preparations for the future. He proposes to return to Miss Durant's group because they have the best infrastructure for success in this new environment. Everyone adopts Coker's idea, except William, who decides to renew his search for Josella elsewhere, namely Sussex Downs.
Chapter 13 - Journey in Hope
William journeys alone for miles and is plagued by loneliness and depression. While passing through a town he picked up a little girl, Susan, who became his travelling companion. They stop for the night and Susan explains the trauma of being utterly alone. William and Susan scavenge and they find a light that they used like a searchlight. It brought the result of someone flashing them a light as well. They locate Josella after a long rainy ride.
Chapter 14 - Shirning
William wants to take Josella to rejoin Coker, but his plan is complicated by Dennis, Mary and Joyce, the inhabitants of the farm who have welcomed Josella as their eyes. The reader hears of the little group's loss of two of its members, and Denis' valiant trips into the village and back, battling Triffid attacks the whole way. One of their company could not be moved, due to a Triffid attack that she was still recovering from. Therefore the group, Susan and William included, could not leave Shirning for a while. It became William's duty to scourge and forage for the group, and Susan's duty to destroy the many Triffids that were about. Josella tells William that her group of newly blinded, back in London, had met the same end as his, and that she had gone back to the University building to find him. Ironically, it was William's shooting of a Triffid on the compound that had scared her away, and prompted her journey to Shirning. Mary has a sighted baby during their stay and they try to make the best of the situation. William makes a trip to Tynsham, to negotiate and prepare for their move, but finds it deserted and Triffid infested. He returns with the bad news. They decided to try to survive in Shirning, as if no help would come.
Chapter 15 - World Narrowing
William erected a fence to keep the Triffids out and went about the troublesome business of learning to farm. He waited a year to visit London, on a scrounging mission, and found that nature had slowly taken over. He made his final trip to London in the fourth year, and never returned again because the car's rumbling had brought down a building. He turned his sights to Brighton for scourging, but a 'keep out' sign and shots told him to look elsewhere. He armed himself after that visit. Josella had her first baby and William renewed his efforts to ensure the little group's survival. It is during this period that they begin to notice that Triffid population had grown and Susan suggests that the noise that they make brings them. They set several traps for the Triffids, but each trap only works once. The Triffids broke in one day and they burnt them with the flame throwers. They broke in again four months later. The attacks continued sporadically, as well as the retaliations. Josella and William take a trip to the coast and discuss the Triffid problem. William proposes that the comet might not have been an accident either, that humans might have brought it down on themselves. They collected their supplies and were picnicking when heard a plane.
Chapter 16 - Contact
They near home and see smoke. They rush home and find the helicopter on their front lawn. It turns out to be Ivan Simpson, a member of Beadley's group. Ivan told them that Beadley's group had found an estate and spent some time there. However, they decided to move because of the Triffid threat. They decided that an island would do, namely the Isle of White. He told them how they cleared it, and do so every spring, as well as the presence of tribal groups that shun organization. He also told them the story of how Coker's group survived. They had also encountered similar Triffid issues and decided to move to an area with a river boundary and fence. When Beadley's group discovered them, they decided to uproot immediately. They were issued an invitation to the Isle of White, and if they did not wish to stay, they could go to the Channel Isle. William thought about it and decided to leave. The Triffids had time to wait for their prey, while the prey watched their resources dwindle.
Chapter 17 - Strategic Withdrawal
Torrence, in the form of a military leader, comes in and offers William a feudal seigneury. He made it clear that twenty newly blinded would join them and they would live off cattle fodder. He proposes that groups such as William's would depend on them, Torrence and his group, for protection, and the major aim would be to raise an army in order to ensure world dominance. He makes it clear that he intends to take Susan back to head quarters where she will provide useful service, for only two sighted adults are allowed in a unit. William pacified him by appearing docile and told everyone to do the same. William unobtrusively left to fill his tank with gas, and Torrence's strange vehicle with honey. While the visitors slept, the group went into their vehicle and ripped through the fence to make their escape. They stopped to clear their vehicle of debris, then head for the Isle of White. Their story, at this juncture, joined with Elspeth Cary's excellent history of the colony.
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
http://www.prirodniskola.cz/media/files/John_Wyndham_-_The_Day_Of_The_Triffids.pdf
* Please note that the videos for The Day of the Triffids are links. As such, they are NOT the property of bulbsoup.
MEDIA @ The Day of the Triffids
|
|
|
