The protagonist is an extraordinary character that surprises both the readers and fellow characters. The Time Traveller is passionate about science and often uses his skills as a source of deception, ‘are you perfectly serious? Or is this a trick – like that ghost last Christmas.’ This quotation shows he had fooled people in the past with his knowledge of science. The characters are unsure of his demonstration he has revealed to them, not knowing whether it is real or a scam.
The characters in ‘The Time Machine’ think the protagonist is ‘one of those men who are too clever to be believed.’ This brings the audience to consider the possibility that all of the protagonist brilliance as gone to his head, causing him to become high on science.
The main character seems somewhat reserved in his work of science, ‘some subtle reserve, some ingenuity in ambush, behind his lucid frankness’. Leaving his guest feeling as if their host is holding something back from them and is waiting for the element of revelation.
Wells describes time travel as ‘excessively unpleasant’, time travel is not as enjoyable as it was believed to be, on the other hand he could be trying to get across to the spectators, how distasteful it was for Wells to see what the future has become. The protagonist compares his journey to the ‘ helpless headlong motion’ ‘one has upon a switchback’.
Wells used the word ‘helpless’ to suggest he has no control over what is happening to the time traveller, or the human race! ‘Switchback’ is a name for a fast tram; this he may be explaining to the readers, that the time machine had begun to increase velocity. ‘Twinkling succession of darkness and light was excessively painful to the eyes.’ This phrase shows that he moving exceptionally fast through time, the ‘palpitation of night and day’, begun emerging into ‘one continuous greyness’. In which he compares his heart rate to how fast he is travelling through time. Suggesting the protagonist is petrified of what the future may hold, building up tension for the readers.
When the protagonist describes his voyage through time, he expresses it visually, ‘the jerking sun became a streak of fire’, ‘wonderful deepness of blue, a splendid luminous colour’. Wells tries to get his audience to render and feel all of the emotions, which may have been going through his character mind.
The Traveller’s first impression of the future was of utopia. Although finding himself face to face with an immensely large, ‘winged sphinx’. He describes as an ‘unpleasant suggestion of disease’. Hinting there is an erroneous side to the future, he then goes on to explaining:
Intelligence had advanced to such an extent medicine could cure all. ‘One triumph of a united humanity over Nature had followed another’. Human dreams ‘ had become projects deliberately put in hands and carried forward.’ We have complete power over nature. Harmful organisms had been obliterated; ‘the air was free from gnat, the earth weeds or fungi’.
The Main Character soon stumbles over the negative view of the future. The protagonist realises ‘In these new conditions of prefect conditions of perfect comfort and security … with us is strength would become weakness.’ Due to scientific accomplishment over society, everything that could have been possibly created has come to action, leaving the human race no need for ‘intelligence or vigour’.
Mankind had reached a time when only the ‘fittest’ and strongest people on earth would have survived. The protagonist decides that he had emerged on ‘humanity on the wane’ the ‘sunset of mankind’ had come to past. As so little of civilization had all the virtues needed to continue to exist. The Traveller was disappointed at how wrongly he had imagined the future. ‘A flow of disappointment rushed through my mind.’
Wells explains the ‘gradual widening of the present merely temporary and social difference between the Capitalist and the labourer …’. To convey the social divide issue to have gotten so out of control we have evolved into two races. He shows how humanity has evolved (or devolved) into two separate species: the frolicsome, dainty Elois, who live on the surface of the earth and engage in nothing but childish play that was similar to the upper class, which also had nothing to occupy their time. Along with the Morlocks, a ‘subterranean’ race of lemur-like creatures, tending the machinery that provides for the needs of the Eloi, this sounds very much like the lower – class in the Victorian times. Wells describes the Morlocks to be ‘apelike creatures’. The theory of Darwin states humans descended from apes, verifying that the social divide as advanced to such an extent the lower class civilisation as literally became inferior to Upper class (devolving). Comparing to the upper class society that seem to have progressed even farther up the Great Chain of Being.
The word ‘Eloi’ comes sounds like ‘elite’, meaning the best of the best. This may also be used in phrase, which generates a vision in the audience’s mind of how delicate these beings of the future are. They engage in no labour and there is ‘no danger of war or military violence, no danger from wild beasts, no wasting diseases: to require strength’. This extract shows, under these new conditions of perfect comfort and security, power and intellect are no longer necessary. Wells presents the Elois as carefree, unintelligent, and possessing a short attention span. The protagonist feels like an outsider in this peculiar world, having no way of communicating with the other species, but through gestures. ‘I pointed to the time machine …I pointed to the sun’. Even then, the Elois have grave difficulties understanding the protagonist. ‘Imitating the sound of thunder’. Which was Wells supposed image of the future descendants, of the superior civilization: The ‘capitalist’.
Wells describes the Elois as ‘beautiful and graceful creature but incredibly frail’’. These creatures are the new generation of the weak wasteful society. The term ‘frail’ is used on these beings to describe how feeble humans have become. ‘Flinging … them like ninepins’. The idiom used generates a vision in the audience’s mind of how delicate these beings of the future are. They engage in no labour and there is ‘no danger of war or military violence, no danger from wild beasts, no wasting diseases; to require strength’. This extract shows, under these new conditions of perfect comfort and security, power and intellect are no longer necessary.
A ‘childlike ease’ was used to describe the characteristics of the Elois. The Elois are compared to: ‘One of our five – old - children’. Conveying to the readers, the Elois lacked ingenuity. An example of this would be when none of the Elois, ‘made the slightest attempt to rescue’ Weena while she was drowning in the river. Furthermore he distinguishes the ‘group of figures clad’ to be a ‘more beautiful kind of consumptive’, the protagonist uses this axiom to express there is something behind these creatures, their beauty was so surreal – There had to be some unseen fault to these organisms.
The Main character advocates his experiences with the Elois to be extraordinary; E.g. There was no ‘effort made to communicate with’ the traveller, the Elois only made ‘soft cooing notes to each other’. Showing his addresses the creatures have no apprehension of the time traveller, and are not even inquisitive of where the protagonist as come from. The protagonist is astonished by their stupidity.
The Morlocks are a total contradiction to the Elois; the names of the two species show this. The word ‘ Mor’ comes the Latin word mort meaning death, and the word ‘lock’, suggesting to the readers the Morlocks living underground are locking the Elois in a death trap, underground as a source of revenge for the conflicted misery the upper – class had on the lower class. Elois lived in ultimate luxury whilst, the Morlocks lived in a ‘Under – world’ hell. The ‘brother was coming back – changed!’ This axiom means the lower class civilisation is coming back, better and stronger than anyone would’ve imagined. In addition, the word Morlock has a resemblance to the name Warlock used for a male evil wizard creating a brutish masculine field, this is the complete opposite, of the name Eloi however which as a innocent feminine field to it, due to many vowels.
The lower – class Morlocks are represented to be the absolute opposite of the upper – class Elois. Wells’s image of the future descendants of the lower class society, are said to live in ‘fear of light’. After adapting to their newfound surroundings, these ‘humans’, Appearance has altered drastically, causing these ‘nauseatingly inhuman’ beings. The time traveller ‘shuddered’ in disgust, at the sight of these beings. Frightening the readers of what as come of their society.
The Morlocks features are said to contain ‘large - greyish red eyes’, ‘bleached, obscene’ skin and ‘flaxen hair’. Reminding him of a ‘human spider’. The fact that Wells took such a distinct language approach to describe the Morlocks may make the spectators consider, if Wells aimed to stop the social divide, why did he depict the Morlocks to be ‘human spiders’, and ‘human rats.’ As spiders and rats are both an international hated creature, causing Wells Victorian audience to take an even farther dislike to lower – class community.
This may be to, Well’s audience of the Victorian period not wanting, to acknowledge a theory that portrayed the upper – class in a degrading manner, as it would have been considered a insult. So in order for Wells to express his theory he had to be biased towards the rich leisured class. ‘ “Elois”, the beautiful race that I already knew.’
Albeit, my pervious point may be argued, by Wells representing to audience all is not perfect in this future for the Elois, as power as changed hands. E.g. The Elois are completely dependant on The Morlocks; The Morlocks took this opportunity to their advantage, tending to the everyday needs of the Elois, breeding them like cattle, so they could provide their food supply. ‘If the Eloi were master’, then why were ‘they so terribly afraid of the dark?’ This phrase stipulates the change of roles between the two societies. E.g. The Elois were being treated like ‘fatted claves’, taken care of, by the Morlocks to provide them a nutritional meal in order for them to continue to exist. The readers are revolted by the Morlocks as Time Traveller makes an assumption that maybe ‘selective breeding’ was used on the Elois to make them fulfil all the needs of the Morlocks.
Wells describes the protagonist time with the Morlocks to be exceedingly horrendous. During the time traveller first venture into the under – world, he is met by ‘machinery’ used to slaughter the Eloi. The protagonist describes the Morlocks to be ‘carnivorous’. The Morlocks interest in the protagonist is said to be ‘indescribably unpleasant’, the ‘clutches’ of the ‘several hands’, terrify the main character, making him fervent to escape. Which is quite the contradictory of how the time traveller felt in the upper – world haven. (He didn’t complain then!) Though the Morlocks have curiosity of the time traveller, and are able to operate ‘machinery’, showing the acuity the Morlocks still attained.
The Morlocks forces the protagonist to change his hypothesis on the position of society. He now reasons that the Eloi represent what he calls the ‘Haves’, and the Morlocks the ‘Have-nots.’ Meaning that the upper class now live in communism, while the Morlocks continue to live in the appalling conditions they did in the Victorian epoch.
Wells uses the Time Machine to portray his theory as a threat, showing the Upper class if they continue to exploit the lower class, a severe change of power will come to pass.
When the protagonist travels forth another ‘30 million years’ he witnesses, that all intelligence of any kind as truly been demolished from the face of the earth. Leaving the only organisms to continue existing to be ‘livid green liverworts and lichens’. Wells uses science to explain to the audience, that all life on earth had truly ended. Even the sun was coming to the end of its life – time. ‘The huge red dome… of the darkling heavens.’ Without the sun all life forms will cease to exist, truly putting an end to the world. ‘Bloody under the eternal sunset…’ The word ‘bloody’ may be used to explain all the lives, which have been lost due to the division of societies. Causing an illusion of how cruel and sinful the world as been, as blood is often associated with someone who is guilty ‘caught red – handed’. The audience begins to reflect on all that happens in society will have an immensely large impact on the future no matter how small.
I deem the Time Machine, to still remain well established after it was written over a century ago. As it, relates to humanity dreams of travelling into the future. Everywhere in popular culture today, one would find anxieties about science, technology, and the fate of mankind. This seems to have increased as inventions became more advanced. Wells prediction as made numerous accurate references to how society is currently today, causing modern day audience to believe in his theory further. The audience, consider all things contemporary man as put into practice: Such as the business, industry, social, economical inequality and prejudice. To all lead to inevitable division of mankind, into social classes which will one day diverge into such extremes that may cause an evolutionary divide to come to past, bringing Wells’s vision to life.
Readers would question that if Wells was correct about all of these inventions created today, who can say that Well’s vision won’t come to life in distance future. Despite the fact that the social divide may not be as ‘Lucid’ as it once was, there are still obvious distinctions between the rich and the poor. Such as the low value and of poorer quality flats are becoming more likely to be found situated underground. Whereas the more expensive and luxurious flats and houses are set up above ground; like the penthouse suites and Buckingham palace for instant which cuts off all public entrance to the property, ‘man had thrust … new brother would come back changed’. This shows some accuracy to present day times. Wells was an ‘agent of social change’, he wanted to save and change the world of the fate, that the future would hold for us if the rich continued to separate themselves from the less fortunate. E.g. The War in Iraq, The Americans, which are supposedly the dominant specimen of the two, are taking advantage of the Iraqis, using their Less Economical Develop Country (LEDC) status, to over power them. Moreover pilfering their oil supply, for their personal benefit.
Wells was considered ‘The Man who invented tomorrow’, as many of Wells prophetic visions had been brought to life. For instance his visions of watching motion pictures on a screen, being able to communicate with people all around the world without having to leave the country! And military tanks (very much to Wells dislike.) He managed to keep the spectators engrossed in the story, by the readers having to use logic to read between the lines and gain a full understanding of what Wells is trying to express. It also gives us some unanswered questions to reflect on: ‘what might not have happened to men? What if cruelty had grown into a common passion?’ We as the audience wonder at what man may evolve into, which engage readers in the story.
Wells focuses from the very start of his novel. On the unspoken aspect of our different civilisations that makes up modern human society created for him. Wells explores the possible future developments of mankind as a species. The Time Machine permits Wells to express his own beliefs and social views as an observer and citizen of the modern world, through his use of language personification. E.g. how Wells uses language as a personification to describe how his upper – class society had evolved.
I learn from The Time Machine of both Wells’s political views on class structures, and how Industrialization will affect us in the future. Causing me to think ahead of everything we do, Wells teaches me the importance of our world wide civilisation, and how we must change it to save humanity. Controversionally getting across to me as a reader that Humans aren’t the apexes of civilization, and we will evolve, and its up to us as a human society to decide whether it will be something to dread or look forward to.
The novel also warns us that industrialization may take humanity too far. Meaning that due to humans having everything, we will begin to misuse over ‘complete power over nature’ causing the division of mankind.
In accumulation we are told of the amazing possibilities the future will hold. There were no signs of ‘neither social nor economical struggle.’ The world had developed into a sanctuary that if used correctly, may lead to a blissful utopia. Overall I think the novel uses of language gives both readers of the modern and Victorian times an in depth analysis of the problems of the world. Causing us to take more cautiousness of how today’s inventions and social problems could lead to the end of the world, as we know it.