The primary theme of "The War of the Worlds" focuses on evolution. The Martians symbolize a potential future for humans. They have extraordinary intelligence, but their physical forms have weakened from disuse. Protected by their powerful war machines, they exert control through their superior technology. They destroy whole towns and occasionally kill without any motive, merely to demonstrate their nearly invincible strength. Yet, beyond their machines, they are vulnerable and nearly helpless.

Some readers feel that the Martians' defeat by microbes is too conveniently resolved. The Martians were "scattered about . . . some in their overturned war-machines, some in the now rigid handling-machines, and a dozen of them stark and silent and laid in a row, . . . slain by the putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared." For Wells, evolution is a double-edged sword; as creatures develop, they also lose certain traits. The Martians developed superior intellects but lost the robust bodies of their evolutionary predecessors. Their technological progress led to a disdain for nature, resulting in a lack of awareness. Caught off guard by infections, they were reduced to crying "ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla" as dogs hunted them down.

Wells delivered a cautionary message during an era when Western civilization was celebrating its technological triumph over nature. The enduring impact of the novel lies in its challenge to the assumption that all technological advancements enhance life. The Martians viewed themselves as superior to nature, unrestrained by moral or ethical considerations. Their contempt for other life forms ultimately led to their downfall. Similarly, humanity's arrogance might lead to an ethical disregard and result in its own downfall by natural forces.

The Earth's invasion succeeds so effectively in part because humans struggle to comprehend it. The first Martian spacecraft touches down in a crater, seemingly inactive. Initially, there are sounds from within, but they soon stop, leading astronomers to conclude that the occupants have perished. When the Martians eventually emerge, they appear as frail, gelatinous beings, struggling to move in Earth's thick atmosphere. This causes scientists to underestimate the threat they pose. These conclusions are drawn from limited observations of the spacecraft's actions. The Martians seem harmless until they abruptly begin their destructive attacks.

Even after the Martians demonstrate their aggression, Londoners remain oblivious to the looming threat due to incomplete information. While Heat-Rays are killing people just twenty miles away, the citizens of London carry on with their usual activities. The novel suggests that, when faced with uncertainty, people tend to believe that everything will remain unchanged. The narrator’s perspective from his secluded house near a Martian crater, where he observes them draining human blood and discarding the bodies, starkly contrasts with the initial assumption that the Martians were incapacitated. Critical days are lost due to confusion about the intentions and abilities of these alien visitors.

When humans grasp that the Martians aim to annihilate them, the situation becomes a matter of victory versus defeat. At first, a team of scientists approaches the Martian cylinder with a white flag, symbolizing a wish for peace, but the Martians incinerate them. Afterward, reports of the invasion are misleadingly optimistic because an artillery shell manages to destroy one Martian pod. This destruction creates a false sense of hope that the Martians can be defeated, despite the absence of further victories. By Book 2, any illusion of human triumph is abandoned. The narrator becomes intrigued by the artilleryman's plan: although conceding that the Martians will inevitably prevail, he suggests that if humanity can survive and continue to reproduce, it might eventually discover a way to succeed in the distant future.

The Martians don't seem...