The Invisible Man: Chapter 22 Summary & Analysis

Griffin stands out on the street, freezing. Despite being invisible, he can’t find a way to get into a house. He walks to a nearby department store and slips in behind an employee. The store is warm, and Griffin figures that if he chooses the right time to do so, he could successfully rob it. He hopes to cover himself up in clothing so that people won’t notice his invisibility, acquire money, collect his books and papers from the post office, find somewhere else to live, and experiment with the kind of life he could lead as an invisible man.

Griffin watches the employees until the store closes. After he hears the door lock, he wandered through the store, which he finds remarkably silent. He then tears open boxes, drawers, and cash registers, ransacking the place for money and clothes. Next he goes to the grocery section, followed by the toy department, where he picks up some artificial noses and dark glasses. Eventually he goes to sleep on a pile of blankets, finally sated and peaceful. He dreams of the events of the preceding days, but the dream soon turns into a nightmare in which he’s tormented by the idea of being both unseen and unheard, and completely alone.

Griffin wakes up to the dawn light and the sound of voices. Two men come toward him, asking who he is and demanding that he stay still. In his fright, Griffin doesn’t think to take off his clothes. Instead, he just smashes a ceramic pot on the head of one of the men, and smacks the other man in the head with a lamp. At this point he decides to strip off his clothes, just as a policeman and three more shopkeepers arrive to search for him. They can’t find him. More shop assistants arrived and begin to excitedly speculate about what happened. Griffin stays in the department store until 11 am, at which point he realizes that staying inside is pointless, and it’s warm enough to venture outside again.