The Time Machine – Analysis Chapter 1-5
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Chapter 1
The book The Time Machine by H.G. Wells consists of a story within a story. The first two chapters make up the outer story, the frame, that leads the reader into the main story. This main story is the tale of the TT, which he recounts to his audience.
In my opinion this special technique is very important, because Wells shows the reader that the story takes place in Victorian England, in a world of gas lamps, ciagars and men who really have the time to talk about topics like the fourth dimension.
Though the TT uses scientific ideas about time and relativity, ” TTM” is not necessarily a deep scientific investigation into relativism and time.
Wells ignores a paradox that conflicts with the existence of time travel: For example, if there were time travel, then a person could go back into the past and kill the younger version of him, but this is impossible since the person from the future wouldnt exist in the future and couldnt kill him in the past.
To skirt this problem Wells sends the TT only into the future, I suppose.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 deals with the mystery of the TTs adventures and further reinforce the state of Victorian Luxury and advancement.
Wells is the true TT and will forecast human future much as the TT does.
Chapter 3
In Chapter 3 the TT is representing a consummate Social Darwinist. He is of the opinion that society and mankind will advance in the future and is full of anxiety, that the opposite might have occurred.
The White Sphinx is reminiscent of the sphinx of ancient Egypt.
While evolution implies that species increasingly adapt to their environments and thus, generally, grow stronger in their complexity, these creatures have simple bodies which are frail.
It is crucial to note that the TT does not move in space, but only in time. Therefore, we can read the novel as a projection of Englands future. Even the momentary hail is somewhat similar to Englands dreary climate.
Chapter 4
two major observations:
– The creatures he encounters are weak and lazy
– their civilisation seems to be an advanced Communist state.
This observation is an argument against evolution as the ultimate end, since the TT observes that life does not naturally adapt to stronger and more complex states.
TT thinks these frail creatures and their communal lifestyle is the result of a world free of trouble.
The TT is disappointed because these little creatures may be very beautiful, but they are not intelligent or advanced in anyway. After all he travelled 800.000 years.
There is no longer “survival of the fittest” ; the weak are as well equipped as the strong
Chapter 5
The future is not a communist state, like he first suspected but rather an excessively capitalist state that has completely divided the poor and the rich. The differences between the working class and the ruling class in the TTs contemporary England, especially in terms of habitation and accommodation, have led to the physical evolution of two distinct species after hundred thousands of years.
From my point of view this