Plot Summary and Themes in "The Time Machine" by H.G Wells

The story starts with a scene of dinner in the Time traveller’s house where he was telling the guest about how Time is the fourth dimension and just like other three dimension we can move in time also. He shows the guests a small clock sized time machine and explains to them that one lever will send the time machine in future and other in past. He asks one of his guests to push the lever forward and the machine disappeared at that instant. He tells the guest that the machine is moving in future at a faster rate than us, so they are not able to see it. He tells them that he is a building a time machine.

Next week, the Time Traveller was late at his own dinner. He then starts to tell the guests his story. He explains that he was successful in building the time machine. He went to the future and explains that the world has entirely changed, everything has ruined, no cities and everything is quite. He meets with the humans of this time who are known as Eloi. Time Travellers describes about the Eloi and how their lack of curiosity is the reason for the fall of technology. They do not have strength or intelligence to survive. When the Time traveller return to the site where he founds that his time has gone missing. He sees the mark of dragging and started searching for it. He was relieved by the fact that he had removed the lever of the time machine as it cannot work without the lever. In the night he is attacked by ape like race which are known as Marlocks which comes out only at night.

He then thinks that humans have evolved in two species. The upper class is Eloi and the working class has become the Morlocks. He then starts searching the structures there and found that the Morlocks are not working class but are like the ranchers. The Morlocks were responsible for the loss of freedom of Eloi’s. They eat Eloi and and they are reason for the loss of intellingence of Eloi. The Time Traveller saved An Eloi named Weena from drowning and they both developed a friendship. The Time Traveller promised Weena that he would take her with him in his own time. They both went to a structure where they found a box of matches which is used for making weapons. They start the reverse journey, Weena did not have the energy to complete the journey, so they decided to take rest in the forest. In the night they were attacked by Morlocks, in this Weena fainted and the Time Traveller ran out of the forest.

The Marlocks left the time machine in the open as a plan to trap the Time Traveller but they did not know that he could escape using Time Machine. The Time Traveller attached the lever and travelled in the future around 30 million in the future. When he reached there he sees that the earth is about to destroy. He found weird crab like creature which were feeding on something like butterfly. The world was dark and was covered with lichen. The environment in the new earth was very cold. The size of the sun was continuously growing and the climate on earth was becoming more colder. He sees the creature of the world dying due to the change in climate. After this he went back to the past, he was approximately 3 hours ahead of the time when he left. From now, the narrator takes over the story The time traveller also showed the guests, the flowers given buy Ween to him when he saved her. The dinner was over and everyone left. The next day, the narrator of the story came back again at the house and found that the Time traveller was packing his bags for another journey in the time machine. The Time Traveller was ready for another time travel and he said to the narratot that he would return in a short while but according to the narrator it has been 3 years from then and till now the Time Traveller has not returned since the time he had left.

Themes

Society and Class

In the novel, H. G Wells shows that different types of social dividers which are still present will be present in future also. Due to this there hatred between the humans. All these social parameters divide humans and these all things causes war between the humans. As shown in the novel that there is a state of war between Elio and Morlock, this all due to parameters existing in the society. The difference in class has ruined the world in the case of story. The author of the novel wants to convey to us by the story that if we continue to live in the world of class, race, etc, then the our earth will be converted into a place as described by him in the novel.

Time

The author conveys that Time is the fourth dimension and just like other three dimensions we can also move in time. He tells us how with time the Earth is becoming a place where living would become more difficult. In early days people use to tell time the position of sun, in present time clocks are used to tell time. Time is a very complex thing and it is very difficult to understand it.

Technology

In the novel the Time Traveller tells the guest the various scientific principles related to time. As shown in various other science fiction how technology advances as we go into the future but in this novel it is opposite. In the future the Eloi lack technology and they do not have any curiosity. Wells shows that how technology can change the life of people as shown in story the difference between Eloi and Morlock. The Eloi lived in a filthy condition and they were deprived of basic needs due to they lost their whole intellect and physical strength. Humans believe that technology will make life better but in this novel it is shown opposite of what is believed.

Fear and Kindness

In this novel H. G. Wells shows two different aspects of humanity fear and kindness. He shows Eloi who are very kind and peaceful beings, on the other hand Morlock who are very strong and violent and spread fear among Elio. The Morlock are more capable but to their nature they are not able to improve their life. Wells wants to tell that in an ideal world humans would strive to move forward, work hard and take risks but not like Eloi who are lazy and no curiosity but not also become depraved like the Morlocks.