'The Time Traveller is a man impossible to sympathise with.' Do you agree with this opinion?

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‘The Time Traveller is a man impossible to sympathise with.’ Do you agree with this opinion?

At the beginning of the time traveller What we first notice about the Time Traveller’s character is his intelligence: -                     ‘ “You must follow me carefully.  I shall have to controvert one or two ideas that are almost universally accepted.” ’  These are his first words in the book.  From the beginning, Wells straight away cleverly exemplifies his confidence, arrogance and intelligence in his speech, the three main components of his character.

His confidence comes from this intelligence of which an example is: - ‘ “I intend to explore time.  Is that clear?  I was never more serious in my life.” ’  His confidence in his high intelligence results in him being extremely arrogant on occasions: -‘ “But the problems of the world had to be mastered.” ’

There may be a connection between that of the Time Traveller’s character and that of. Kunno in “The Machine Stops”.  It is possible that Wells may have used the idea of the reader thinking that the character is proud and arrogant, before realising there is more to him.  Although the books were published in the late Victorian and early Edwardian, Wells may have used the basic outline of Kunnos character for the Time Traveller.

Right through the book, the Time Traveller’s attitude is that he feels superior to anyone else: his guests, the Eloi and the Morlocks.  Several times he describes the Eloi as “children”, both physically and in terms of intelligence.  On one occasion he describes himself as ‘ “like a schoolmaster among children” ’, despite the fact that the Eloi are teaching him their language.

This is also an example of irony, as they are teaching him, not him teaching them.                                                     However, the Time Traveller's feeling of superiority fails to make him realise the ironic side of what he thinks.

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The Time Traveller feels that he is more intelligent and knowledgeable than his guests. In discussions with his guests he oozes confidence, helping him to put points forward, and speaks adding emphasis to certain phrases, by pausing, for example.  An example of this is: - ‘ “Scientific People,” proceeded the Time Traveller, after the pause required for the proper assimilation of this…’  

In the meetings between him and his guests, he is always the person always putting the points forward and deciding where the conversation goes: - ‘ “Can an instantaneous cube exist?” ’  Also, the Time Traveller ...

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