I have found there to be a theme of fate in War Of The Worlds. It seems that there are frequently events or occurrences that happen because they must do so and happen against the desires of people being affected by them. The first of these incidents comes very early in the novel when the narrator mentions that no one would have been able to imagine the effects that the invasion would have on the world. The novel places the martians also at risk of fate in that they only came to earth as their planet ran dry on resources. I think this shows that all being are subject to fate, with this example being the fate of limited resources. This is a parallel to the imperialism motif seen throughout the story. The conquering nations were also fated to eventually run out of resources. Continuing with the notion of imperialism and fate,  I think that those conquering other nations felt as though it was the conquered nation’s fate and their fated “white-man’s burden” to conquer. This novel takes that idea further by suggesting that everyone is subject to fate.

Nathan Whittle