The Time Machine - H.G. Wells Study Guide

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Analysis Paper “Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it 's just the opposite,” – a rather bold quote by John Kenneth Galbraith to begin with, serves as a great taste into what H.G. Wells is trying to convey in his novel, The Time Machine. While Wells is not supporting communism in his book, throughout this science fiction novel, a main theme present is warning the reader of the dangers of capitalism. In this book the reader is taken on an adventure to different times in the distant future with the main character, the Time Traveller, to explore Wells’ standpoint on a probable outcome for capitalism. Along the way, the characters and plot begin to take a greater meaning than what they just sound like at face value. Wells is able to eloquently convey this theme of destructive capitalism through not only his use of symbolism, but also through characterization and the setting that he could experiment with due to his genre. Characterization of the two main groups in this novel aid in the way Wells was able to express his theme. The first group were the Morlocks. They serve as the ape-like predators during the year of 802701. During this part of the story, they also serve as the antagonists. As stated by Tracy M. Caldwell in her Literary Criticism of The Time Machine, the Morlocks “represent the endpoint of a progressively restrictive oppression of the laboring classes, and industry itself is pushed underground, as buried as the guilt of enslaving an entire (white) sector of the population in England” (1). That ties in later more so to symbolism however, these character are a literary tool used to help express the one side of capitalism. The Morlocks are portrayed as carnivorous, inhumane, and aggressive beasts. Wells made their place of dwelling the hot underground depths of the earth to make them appear even more savage. These characters are generally considered the antagonists because they work as the

Cited: Caldwell, Tracy M. "H. G. Wells ' "The Time Machine.." Literary Contexts In Novels: H. G. Wells ' 'The Time Machine ' (2006): 1-8. Literary Reference Center. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Hume, Kathryn. "Eat or Be Eaten: H.G. Wells 's Time Machine." H.G. Wells: Bloom 's Modern Critical Values. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004. 37. Print. Partington, John S. "The Time Machine and A Modern Utopia: The Static and Kinetic Utopias of the Early H. G. Wells." 'Academia.edu ' N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. "Science Fiction: An Overview." Introduction. Literary Movements and Genres: Science FIction. San Diego: Greenhaven, 002. 15. Print. Semansky, Chris. "Critical Essay on "The Time Machine"" Novels for Students 17 (2003): n. pag. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. "The Time Machine Setting." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. Wells, Herbert G. The Time Machine. New York: Airmont, 1964. Print.