Summary
Book 2, Chapter 1
The narrator and the curate take shelter in an abandoned house for two days to avoid the Black Smoke. The narrator becomes so annoyed with the curate that he locks himself in an attic. Finally, a Martian comes by to clear the Black Smoke by spraying steam, and the men are able to escape. They witness the destruction of the landscape and hide when a Martian tripod walks by.
Suddenly, they see a Martian tripod pursuing three fleeing people. The Martian grabs these people and throws them into a basket-like object on its back. The narrator begins to wonder what the Martians really want.
At night, the two men start moving again. They finally take refuge that night in an abandoned house where they find some food. Suddenly there is an enormous explosion which knocks the narrator unconscious. When he awakens, he realizes that he and the curate can see Martians moving through a hole in the rubble. Another cylinder has landed in the house next door.
Book 2, Chapter 2
The narrator and the curate observe the Martians working. One of their machines is so lifelike that he has to remind himself it is a tool and not a living object.
The narrator then proceeds to give more information about the Martians which was gained by later autopsy. They subsist by injecting the blood of of other creatures directly into their veins. The narrator reasons that they probably targeted humans because humans bore some resemblance to their original prey animal.
The narrator offers three more facts about the Martians: they don't sleep, they don't have gender, and they do not harbor any microorganisms. He also believes that they communicate telepathically. Lastly, the narrator observes that the Martians don't wear clothes, although they do use many varieties of technology. After this observation, he gives up the peephole to the curate.
Book 2, Chapter 3
Trapped by the Martians in the ruined house, the narrator and the curate spend their time sleeping and watching the Martians through the peephole.
The narrator begins to grow annoyed by the curate, who cries constantly and eats too much food. Eventually, the narrator hits the curate to restrain him.
The narrator sees the Martian bringing some living people to their pit. He can't see what happens to them, but he does hear ominous hooting noises. A few days later, the narrator actually sees the Martians killing and eating a young boy, and he resolves to escape. He tries to dig a tunnel out of the house, but it collapses on him. He hears some guns in the distance, but the noises quickly cease. The men have been trapped in the house for five days.
Book 2, Chapter 4
The narrator discovers that the curate has been eating almost all of their food, so he rations out the remaining food. However, the curate has gone mad with terror and can't be reasoned with. The narrator finds that the other man's insanity actually makes his own mind clearer.
The curate begins to rant about how God has sent punishment for the sins of humanity. He yells that he must bear witness and tries to rush outside, but the narrator knocks him out. However, one of the Martians has been alerted by the noise and reaches its tentacles into the house. The narrator is able to hide, but the Martian grabs the unconscious curate and pulls him out. The narrator has now been hiding in the house for eleven days.
Book 2, Chapter 5
When he emerges from the coal cellar in which he has hidden, the narrator realizes that the Martians have also stolen his supply of food. On the twelfth day, he risks getting some water from a pump.
The narrator notices that the light in the house has gone red; he realizes that this has been caused by the invasive red weed, which has overgrown the peephole.
After a few more days, the narrator hears a dog barking outside. At first, he considers that he could eat the dog, but then he realizes that if a dog is able to walk around and bark unharmed, then perhaps the Martians are gone. He takes the risk of going outside and sees a number of dead human bodies, but no Martians. He has been in the house for a total of fifteen days.
Analysis
The red weed has overgrown the countryside, having no natural predators in the new environment of earth. This is a fictional example of a real-life problem: invasive species, which are brought from one ecosystem from another and grow unchecked, causing terrible environmental issues.
The narrator is trapped in the house for nearly two weeks, during which time he has almost no interaction with the outside world. However, it does give him a chance to observe the Martians and to learn more about their habits. Eventually, he will go on to write the present narrative using his knowledge. He spends more time in close quarters with Martians than almost any other human survivor, and he learns a number of things: that Martians do not have gender, that they do not wear clothes, and that they subsist on the blood of creatures.
This last observation is hinted at when the narrator sees a Martian tripod pursuing people and throwing them into a basket on its back. He has never seen Martians doing such a thing before, and he begins to wonder what they might really want. His worst suspicions are confirmed when he sees the Martians kill first a man, and then a young boy. The narrator remains somewhat level-headed, though, since he reasons that a rabbit would also be horrified by the way a human eats. This method of feeding makes the Martians even more terrifying and alien.
The narrator's long captivity with the curate during his descent into madness is striking. The curate finally resolves to commit a form of suicide, but he is stopped by the narrator. This alerts the Martians, however, who spirit the man away, likely to drink his blood. The force of religion has been nullified.
