The Martians as the Other (metaphor)
Metaphorically speaking, the invading armies from Mars can be read as a symbol of an outside threat to the world in general and to England specifically. The Martians can be considered metaphorical inhabitants of any of the non-British invasive nations with which England had been warring at one time or another for centuries—the Germans, sure, but just as applicably the French or the Spanish.
The Martians as Ourselves (metaphor)
An equally valid interpretation for many (though not so much for readers of the first edition when it was published in England) is that the beings from another world are a metaphor for British imperialism. Colonization of other lands is made real and horrifying in a way in that is, tragically, more vivid and incisive in this work of fiction than many actual history books.
The Red Weed (metaphor)
The red weed is a physical metaphor for all the human blood that is shed during the war. On a less obvious level, the weed also acts metaphorically as a kind of foreshadowing of the uncontrolled progression of earthbound disease, which ultimately infects and kills the invaders from Mars.
Invasive species are a major issue in environmental preservation; because they come from a different ecosystem, they have no natural predators and are able to grow unchecked, choking out the native species and destabilizing the environment. This is a clear metaphor for the Martians themselves, who are able to tear over the surface of the earth unchecked.
An Ironclad to an Animal (simile)
When the narrator first sees the tripods, he thinks to himself. ”I began to compare the things to human machines, to ask myself for the first time in my life how an ironclad or a steam engine would seem to an intelligent lower animal” (pg. 63). This simile highlights the existential smallness that humanity feels in the face of Martian war machines that are far more advanced than anything of which they have ever conceived.
A Poison Dart (simile)
When the cylinders first begin to land, the narrator notes, "In the centre, sticking into the skin of our old planet Earth like a poisoned dart, was this cylinder." (pg. 42) This is a potent simile that tells the reader a great deal about the nature of the Martian threat. Someone who is struck by a poison dart is generally not affected right away; in the same manner, the people of England are not afraid of the cylinders at first, and some children even throw rocks at it. However, once the poison takes effect, the results of a poison dart are catastrophic, and so it is with the cylinders as well, which send forth tripods that wreak havoc over humanity.
