The Time Machine: An Invention: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Time Machine: An Invention: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the significant figures within H.G. Wells' seminal science fiction work, "The Time Machine." Central to the narrative is the Time Traveler, a Victorian scientist who invents a machine that enables him to journey into the distant future. His explorations reveal two distinct future species: the Eloi, gentle and naive beings who live above ground, and the Morlocks, savage creatures inhabiting the dark, underground realms. Through his interactions with Weena, a young Eloi girl whom he rescues, the Time Traveler navigates the complexities of survival and the stark contrasts between the two species. The characters symbolize broader themes of evolution, social class, and the potential consequences of technological advancement. The analysis encourages readers to reflect on the implications of these characters and their environment, as well as the overarching message about humanity's trajectory. This examination is valuable for those interested in character development within speculative fiction and the social commentary embedded in Wells' narrative.
The Time Machine: An Invention: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: H. G. Wells
First published: 1895 (serial form, Science Schools Journal, April-June, 1888; National Observer, March-June, 1894; and New Review, January-May, 1895)
Genre: Novel
Locale: England
Plot: Science fiction
Time: Late nineteenth century
The Time Traveler, who exhibits his Time Machine one evening after dinner. The next week, his guests arrive for dinner but do not find him home. Informed that they are to proceed without him, they sit down to dinner. Later, their host arrives, dirty and limping. He has traveled to the year 802,701, the time of the sunset of humanity. He tells his guests what he found. The people, weak, rounded creatures about four feet high, are vegetarians called Eloi, living in enormous buildings. Underground live the predatory Morlocks, apelike creatures also descended from humans. They were responsible for the disappearance of the Time Machine, but the Time Traveler says he managed to get it back and take off as the Morlocks sprang at him. Then, after quick and horrifying excursions ahead millions of years to the distant future, when the sun is dying and the earth is enveloped in bitter cold and deathly stillness, he hurried back to the present. The next day, the Time Traveler silences his friends' doubts by departing again on his Time Machine; he does not return, and his friends can only wonder what mishap has made him a lost wanderer in time.
Weena, a girl of the Eloi. The Time Traveler saves her from drowning, and she becomes his friend and guide. After sightseeing, they find that they have walked too far to return that night. They build a fire on a hill to keep away the dark-loving Morlocks, but later the Time Traveler wakes to find the fire out and Weena missing.