When Well's wrote "The Time Machine" the Victorian period had ended. Socially and scientifically a new phase had begun. How are the hopes and fears of this new era reflected in the novel?

The Time Traveller devises three theories whilst in 802,701 AD. The time traveller's first theory is about how Eloi society functions appeared to be a critique of communism and he identifies the operations of capitalism as the source of tension between the Eloi and the Morlocks. The time traveller thinks he has arrived in a communist paradise, and that the Eloi are creatures, which are the result of a world without hardship and fear.

In the Eloi, Wells ridiculed post Victorian corruption. Whilst in the Morlocks, Wells provided a Marxist analysis of capitalism.

The Time Traveller finds the creatures beautiful, but he is disappointed by their laziness and lack of intelligence "...Dresden china type of prettiness...eyes large and mild...there was a certain lack of interest in them." It seems that Wells may be making a negative comment on communism.

However we know that during the post Victorian period was a time of great technical progress and social stability. Many people thought that progress was inevitable and good. Here, Wells suggests that progress can go in many different directions, and that if too much progress is made, if humans get too comfortable, they might get soft.

The Time Traveller makes a journey into the underworld. This is a common element in fiction, especially in myths. In many ways, the story of the time machine is like a myth, in that it is a story of a completely different world full of symbolic meaning.

The Time Traveller's second theory originates whilst spending time in the world of the Eloi. He realises that not only has capitalism led to a big division of labour in which the workers must live underground, but also that the workers are now exacting revenge on their former masters. "...It seemed clear as daylight to me that the gradual widening...social difference between Capitalist and Labourer...key to the whole position."

The Morlocks eat, hunt, and terrorize the Eloi, just as the ancestors of the Eloi metaphorically preyed on their subjugated workers "...they were less human and more remote than our cannibal ancestors."

This theory seems to represent some of Wells's own anxieties. Capitalist societies often produced tales about fears of an uprising from below. In "The Time Machine" the uprising is an unavoidable and inevitable evolutionary consequence. It should be noticed that while Wells seems to attack communism earlier in the book, the Time Traveller's third and ultimate theory still fits in with the idea of class warfare and is a way of looking at society that is a key element of Marxism.

The book has two main plots. The first is the adventure tale of the Eloi and Morlocks in the year 802,701 AD. The second is the science fiction of the time machine. "The Time Machine", is a story within a story where the first two chapters are the outer story and what comes after is the journey of the time traveller. This is what makes it an enjoyable read.

We can clearly discern the fact that during the post Victorian period there were many hopes and fears and they are reflected in "The Time Machine." Scientifically the upper class Victorians hoped and wanted to achieve the concept that technology would make their lives easier but Wells response to that is that although technology made life easier for the upper class and to an extent the working class it might have been viewed in a negative aspect. This is because the workers still had to put, time, effort and labour into working the technology, as did the Morlocks.

As mentioned before the Victorian upper class feared that there would be an uprising from lower classes. Wells said that the working class would rise and be the dominant class. The upper class also feared that their status quo would be destroyed.

On the other hand the working class probably feared that technology would replace them and Wells responds to that in "The Time Machine" by saying that technology would serve the upper class and wipe the working class out.

Overall I feel that in the Victorian period the main fear and hope was that things were on the verge of changing. Some people feared that things were going to change so they were not able to keep things as they were and probably did not want to experience new things. Whilst other people hoped that things were going to change so that they could experience new things.

Nasimah Sabina Chowdhury.

12C.