The Time Machine Themes

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Herbert George (H.G.) Wells’ 1895 scientific romance novella, The Time Machine, is considered to be one of the forerunners of the science fiction genre. Whilst the story was not the first to explore the concept of time travel, it is quite significant for its pseudoscientific account of how time travel could perhaps occur, this interpretation has shown to be quite influential to numerous productions in both media and literature. Wells explores a number of themes throughout this novella, however there are three prominent ones, the relativity of time, social Darwinism and evolution, and capitalism. These themes explore concepts which are relevant to society and creates connections with the intended 19th century audience.
Wells’ main protagonist, …show more content…

The future, at first, looks much better than the TT own time, but he soon deliberates that the ‘class conflict’ and ‘class structure’ from his own time have simply evolved rather than effaced. The concept of this future society, in which Wells portrays, can be perceived as a socialist warning of the possibilities that may befall mankind if capitalism continues to occur and workers are continually exploited for the benefits of the rich. As previously expressed the TT conjectures that the working class has been pushed underground for such a time that they have adapted and evolved into a primal, nocturnal species (pg. 79). Whilst, the upper class society has remained above ground, and their advanced civilization, filled with amenities, has changed them into feeble, indolent, and dependent species (pg. 126). The way the tables have somewhat turned and the Morlocks now ‘farm’ the Eloi can be seen as a Marxist revolution of sorts of the future society. A revolution where the oppressed working class has banded together and have overthrown the ruling class. At the time of the publishing of this novella, The Time Machine was an expression of Wells ' concerns for his 19th century audience, his unease of what may occur if the industrial revolution further divided the classes and how this rampancy of capitalism would solemnly effect

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