Showing results for "Voices" in City Life

Mr. Hoopdriver is a frustrated draper’s assistant in Putney, London. He is badly paid, over-worked, and he needs a holiday. He also owns a bicycle—though he is an awkward rider. When his annual ten days’ holiday comes around, Mr. Hoopdriver sets out on a bicycling tour of the “Southern Coast.” Wells wrote this at the height of the bicycling craze and before the automobile. The bicycle gave freedom to the working class, weakened the English class structure and gave a boost to female emancipation. In his story he explores these changes.

Carl Felman is a young man who, at the start of the story, is returning to his parents’ home following an extended absence. He stole money from his parents before leaving home, did a stint in the army, and spent some time traveling America as a hobo. Carl fancies himself a poet, but has had no training in writing. During the story he finds his poetic voice, but also uncovers a personality that is at odds with the world he tries to describe.