Analysis Of The Croquet Player

The Croquet Player In the novel, The Croquet Player, by H.G. Wells, fascism plays a heavy role on the characters in the book, and readers are warned about the prevailing problematic system among them. The Croquet Player, written in 1936, is about a character’s exposure to interesting people in a village of England who have a peculiar illness. It takes the entire book for one to realize the illness he has experienced firsthand. The title of the novella is deceiving for croquet plays only a small role in the true motif. In the beginning of the novel, the main character, Georgie, is introduced along with his aunt, Miss Frobisher. The two of them live in wealth and prosper in the game of croquet. Georgie and his aunt spend a great amount of spare

Finchatton, Georgie consults Dr. Norbert, a director of the local museum. Georgie finds that after thinking about the predicament of Dr. Finchatton, he too could slip into the troubled state the other man is experiencing. Norbert informs Georgie that Finchatton is certifiably insane and has hallucinations because he cannot handle the reality of the world he is living in. Dr. Norbert explains that Dr. Finchatton is ill and has never been able to cope with the problems in the towns he has been employed. Finchatton could not cope with working in the city or the small town of Cainsmarsh. Dr. Norbert has one solution to cure Dr. Finchatton, whom he knew before Georgie. Norbert knows that the only way Finchatton can be helped is if he learns to face reality. Dr. Norbert says that he needs once slipped into an early stage of the hallucinating illness but was able to pull himself out of the troubling sickness by understanding his surroundings. Dr. Norbert suggests that Dr. Finchatton must “Face the Facts! …Or be forever defeated” (Wells 92). The only solution is to grasp the illness itself. Norbert thinks the world is in trouble and soon everyone will be under the same trance as poor Dr. Finchatton. Georgie feels overwhelmed by the situation and leaves Norbert, thinking of nothing but his game of

The hidden meaning behind the story is to address the issue of fascism in the world. In 1937, most country leaders are from fascists parties. This means that the leaders were very intolerant and practiced a strict, authoritarian style of government. Sensitive people are the only ones the author feels will be impacted by fascism and he does not feel that anyone will understand the threat of the intruding political party. Wells uses The Croquet Player to warn readers about fascism and what will happen if everyone falls for the trap. As the author, Wells is trying to discreetly advise people to ignore all attempts at fascism and to walk away from threatening