FREE ESSAY ON ANALYSIS OF THE TIME MACHINE

ANALYSIS OF THE TIME MACHINE

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is considered a "classic" in today's literary community. I
also believe that this novel is a good book. It was an interesting story the first time I
studied it, and I have found new ideas each time I have read it since. It is amazing that
such a simple narrative could have so many complex ideas. Unfortunately, some do not take
the same position that I do. They cast it off as a silly little novel that deserves no
merit. Obviously I disagree with these critics. The Time Machine follows the criteria
that I believe a good novel should have. A good novel should include an element of
fantasy and should stimulate ideas in the audience that they never came to realize
before. The aspect of good versus evil should also be incorporated into a novel, mainly
to capture the reader's attention. If readers find themselves rooting for a particular
character or set of characters against another, they become involved in the novel. The
characters should also be realistic so the audience can relate to them. The Time Machine
follows these criteria with few exceptions. 
Why should this novel be looked at now, 100 years after it was written? The Time Machine
is a science fiction novel that has a much different view of the future than the view
that is commonly held today. Modern society foresees the future as a technologically
advanced society that would make our present society look primitive. Many movies today
portray this view of the future. Wells's view of the future is the antithesis to the one
that is held today. The regression of society is rarely discussed as the future. The idea
that human beings have reached their progressive and evolutionary peak could be an
actuality. The Time Machine could be a possibility for the future despite the universal
belief that humans still have a long way to progress. Neither technology nor peacefulness
exists in the future that The Time Machine portrays. 
Wells apparently has a grim outlook for what society will evolve to in the future. Wells
introduces a meta-utopia or a dystopian future, which is, to say the least, a radically
unique idea. A meta-utopian society is one that regresses instead of progresses. The
protagonist of the book, the Time Traveller, builds a time machine and travels to the
year 802,701. The landscape that he relates to the reader is a heap of granite, bound
together by masses of aluminum, which were obviously old buildings that had been
demolished. The Time Traveller encounters two races of regressed human beings the Eloi
and the Morlocks. The Eloi are frail creatures, no taller than four feet. They pass their
time frolicking in the fields. They do not seem to be interested in the continuous
pursuit of intellectual advance or technological progress which would assuredly make
their lives much easier. Unlike the Eloi, the Morlocks are subterranean creatures. They
are carnivorous, cannot tolerate the daylight and they feed upon the helpless Eloi at
night, whom they breed like cattle. These two races seem to be manifestations of human
characteristics that would only be harmful. The Eloi represent those who live off of
human emotion and activity, and are plagued by premature decrepitness and degeneration.
They survive off the hard work of others. The Morlocks represent an industrialized
society in a negative fashion. They are slovenly, unaesthetic and lack a sense of beauty
needed to appreciate life. Wells's believes that these traits would lead to a
degeneration of society.
While these concepts are new and different to those who read Wells's novel, the main idea
that revolutionized science fiction was the introduction of the time machine. The time
machine has become a staple in the science fiction genre. Many movies incorporate the
idea of a vehicle that can move the characters years ahead or behind the present. The
time machine is integral to the fantasy aspect of the story. A fantasy is fiction made up
on highly imaginative or fanciful character and premise. Many would jump at the
opportunity to travel to anyplace in time. Knowing what's going to happen in the future
and being able to change it is a fantastic idea for a story. The Eloi and Morlocks are
the fanciful characters that would be prevalent in a fantasy. They are unrealistic, but
on must remember that they are Wells's portrayal of humans in the future. This could be
disturbing to some, but this fantastic premise is Wells's view. The Time Machine's main
appeal is, 'What does the future hold for us?' Wells attempts to answer this question in
a way that has never been discussed. This is a topic that has many possibilities and
interests a large part of the literary community. 
The element of good versus evil is also present in Wells's novel. This concept is basic
human nature. This struggle is an ongoing theme that has lasted throughout time. In The
Time Machine, the Eloi are considered good while the Morlocks are obviously bad. The
Morlocks attempt to prey on the Eloi which keeps both sides in dissension. This conflict
in good versus evil can be seen in almost any form of entertainment from books to movies
to sports. In books and movies the good and bad sides must be established for the
audience to choose a side with which to root for. Any sports fan can also relate to this
idea. A fan's favorite team is always the "good guys," while the opponent is the "bad
guy." A Giants fan always takes pleasure in seeing the Cowboys lose. The defeat of the
bad side is almost as good as victory for the good. The conflict of good versus evil is
one that the audience identifies with. The audience readily takes the Eloi's side and
roots for them against the Morlocks. This conflicts keeps the audience interested to see
which side outlasts the other.
Realistic characters the audience can relate to are sometimes necessary for a novel to
interest an audience. The Time Machine obviously has its fair share of unrealistic
characters (Morlocks and Eloi) that could detract from the realism of the novel. The one
character that is realistic is the Time Traveller. He is an integral character the
audience identifies with. He is not portrayed as a crazy scientist performing a maniacal
experiment. Readers can see themselves as the Time Traveller. He is a normal guy that
happens to travel through time. Without the realism of the Time Traveller Wells loses the
audience.
The Time Machine still holds the same appeal today as it did 100 years ago. The essential
elements for a successful novel are incorporated into Wells's greatest work. He is able
to keep the audience interested and has set the precedent for the science fiction genre.
The use of a time machine has been used in movies and other novels throughout the years.
The idea that one can travel through time is a concept that appeals to many and to our
memories of the past. As children, we would pretend we were some sort of hero that would
have great adventures. The Time Machine's premise is similar to these childhood
fantasies. The Time Machine remains popular because of its introduction of new ideas of
the future, and the fantasy that it portrays brings the reader to a world quite different
than our own.