A Vision of Judgment, H. G. Wells: Summary, Analysis & Themes

‘A Vision of Judgment’ was first published in Butterfly in September 1899. This tale by H. G. Wells is a light-hearted and humorous take on the Day of Judgment, where all humankind, including the dead, are summoned before God to be judged for their deeds. Summary The story is divided into nine brief parts, beginning with the sound of the Last Trump, signaling the arrival of the Day of Judgment. The first-person narrator, who is dead and buried, realizes that the time has come for all of humankind to appear before God. Notable figures such as Charles Darwin and Henry the Eighth are among those summoned. Each person is called in turn to confess their sins before God. A Wicked Man, identified as King Ahab, openly confesses his many crimes and appears proud of them, but becomes a subject of ridicule when some of his more embarrassing transgressions are revealed. Even those who were victims of the Wicked Man laugh at his pathetic nature. The exact nature of one particularly embarrassing transgress…