Analysis of H. G. Wells’ ‘Under the Knife’
‘Under the Knife’, first published in the New Review in January 1896, is a thought-provoking short story crafted by the renowned author H. G. Wells (1866-1946). The narrative unfolds through the perspective of a first-person narrator who finds himself undergoing a surgical operation—hence the evocative title, which refers to being ‘under the knife’. Before the procedure, he is administered general anaesthetic, which sets the stage for a vivid and surreal dream experience.
Summary
Under the influence of this anaesthetic, the narrator embarks on a fantastical journey, grappling with the fear that he may have succumbed to death. Initially, he feels himself drifting further and further away from Earth, eventually transcending into the vastness of the Milky Way. This cosmic odyssey culminates in a striking vision of a ‘Hand’:
The cloud’s shape was grotesque. It seemed to be looped along its lower side into four projecting masses, and above, it ended in a straight line. What phantom was it? I felt assured I had seen that figure before; but I could not think what, nor where, nor when it was. Then the realisation rushed upon me.
It was a clenched Hand.
I was alone in space, alone with this huge, shadowy Hand, upon which the whole Universe of Matter lay like an unconsidered speck of dust. It seemed as though I watched it through vast periods of time.
This image of the clenched Hand undeniably evokes the notion of a deity or a god, asserting its presence as the creator and overseer of the universe. The narrator vividly details this hand:
On the forefinger glittered a ring; and the universe from which I had come was but a spot of light upon the ring’s curvature. And the thing that the hand gripped had the likeness of a black rod. Through a long eternity I watched this Hand, with the ring and the rod, marvelling and fearing and waiting helplessly on what might follow. It seemed as though nothing could follow: that I should watch for ever, seeing only the Hand and the thing it held, and understanding nothing of its import.
This profound vision compels the narrator to ponder his own existence within the vast cosmos. It raises existential questions that stretch beyond individual significance:
Was the whole universe but a refracting speck upon some greater Being? Were our worlds but the atoms of another universe, and those again of another, and so on through an endless progression? And what was I? Was I indeed immaterial? A vague persuasion of a body gathering about me came into my suspense. The abysmal darkness about the Hand filled with impalpable suggestions, with uncertain, fluctuating shapes.
Ultimately, at the conclusion of ‘Under the Knife’, the narrator awakens from his dream to discover that the operation was successful and that he is, in fact, very much alive.
Analysis
‘Under the Knife’ stands out as one of Wells’s most evocative pieces of writing. It resembles more of a ‘vision’ than a traditional short story, eschewing a conventional plot structure in favor of a powerful exploration of cosmology. Thus, it can aptly be categorized as a visionary fantasy.
The supernatural element is represented by the imposing hand that manifests as a cloud before the narrator. Yet, as is characteristic of H. G. Wells’s fiction, the story presents a layer of ambiguity surrounding the narrator’s experience. I would argue that it is not entirely accurate to label this ambiguity; rather, Wells seems to guide us towards a clear understanding that the general anaesthetic has induced a vivid and lifelike dream, rather than a genuine supernatural encounter.
It is also valuable to compare and contrast ‘Under the Knife’ with another of Wells’s works published in the same year, 1896—’The Plattner Story’. In that tale, a schoolteacher inadvertently projects himself into an alternate realm. In contrast to the subjective nature of ‘Under the Knife’, Plattner’s experience is supported by concrete details that hint at a genuine supernatural occurrence.
In ‘Under the Knife’, however, I lean towards interpreting the narrative as a purely subjective fantasy. The clenched hand, which evokes the imagery of a deity, may simply symbolize the surgeon’s hand, which intrudes upon the narrator’s consciousness as he lies not only under the knife but also under the influence of anaesthetic.