The images of the Martians in The War of the Worlds by H. Wells and its film adaptation by Byron Haskin are political and social allegories for their day. In the novel, Wells symbolized the injustices of Imperial Britain with the gruesome image of the parasitic Martians. Whereas, Haskin, who directed The War of the Worlds during the beginning of the Cold War, wanted to glorify America as the ultimate world power and therefore made his Martians physically weak and foolish looking. These two images symbolize the political views that each author wishes to convey. The similarities are that both men portray the Martians as physically weak beings, but at the same time mental giants, both use giant machines armed with heat rays to kill instead of brute force, and in the end both were killed by viruses. The political commentary can be seen in the Martian's invasion tactics, technical superiority, appearance, and their physical handicaps. .
Wells's Martians were a symbol warning the British of the dangers of the harsh treatment of their colonies. The novel portrays the Martians as advanced parasitic monsters, traveling from their world to ours in hopes of consuming our bodies for food. The artilleryman displays his fear of this when he states, "So soon as they've settled all our guns and ships, and smashed our railways, and done all the things they are doing over there, they will begin catching us systematic, picking the best and storing us in cages and things. That's what they will start doing in a bit."(Wells 91) While the colonial British were far from cannibals, their policy towards their colonies was one of exploitation. Wells also hints at this when he describes the world as having "navy crowded seas"(Wells 2). Britain at that time had the world's largest navy and colonies need protection. Colonies would not be able to survive without a substantial navy. Like the colonial British, the Martians were war-like.
