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The Time Machine

by H. G. Wells

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Time Traveller

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The Time Machine primarily consists of the Time Traveller's account, as narrated to Hillyer. This affluent yet socially aware inventor and scientist resides in Richmond and constructs a device enabling him to journey through the fourth dimension. He possesses twinkling gray eyes and a typically flushed, pale face. Well-versed in contemporary theories such as evolution and communism, the Time Traveller swiftly transitions from observation to speculation but is willing to admit his errors and reconsider his views.

Despite discovering through his travels that humanity will eventually perish and all life will vanish from Earth, the Time Traveller remains enthusiastic about the future. He is also known for his sharp wit and frequently makes jokes at his own expense. His history of playing practical jokes on his guests causes some of them to doubt the authenticity of his story. Hillyer comments that he "had more than a touch of whim among his elements."

Characters Discussed

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The Time Traveler

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

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.

Other Characters

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Blank
The editor of "a well-known (but unnamed) daily paper," Blank—also known as "the Editor"—is an infrequent visitor to the Time Traveller's home. He was skeptical when informed about the experiment the previous week. When the Time Traveller arrives during dinner, looking disheveled and dirty, he mocks him by asking, "Hadn't they any clothes brushes in the Future?" The Editor remains unconvinced after hearing the Time Traveller's story, commenting, "What a pity it is you're not a writer of stories."

Dash
Present at the second dinner, Dash—also referred to as the Journalist—is more captivated by his own stories than those of the Time Traveller.

The Eloi
The Eloi are small, childlike beings who live in 802,701 A.D., descended from the upper classes of nineteenth-century Britain. They spend their days playing and lounging and are vegetarians. To protect themselves from the Morlocks, who hunt them at night, they sleep together in large halls. Although initially curious about the Time Traveller, their interest quickly wanes, except for Weena, a female Eloi whom the Time Traveller saves from drowning.

Filby
Introduced in the second chapter, Filby is described as "an argumentative person with red hair." A rationalist, he doubts the Time Traveller's assertions and is not particularly intelligent. Hillyer remarks that if Filby had presented The Time Machine and explained it instead of the Time Traveller, "a pork-butcher could understand."

Hillyer
Hillyer serves as the narrator and is the only character who believes the Time Traveller's tale. Most of the novel consists of the Time Traveller's story as recounted to Hillyer. However, Hillyer directly addresses readers in the first, second, and twelfth chapters, as well as in the epilogue. Unlike the Time Traveller, who is pessimistic about humanity's future, Hillyer remains hopeful, stating that even if the Time Traveller's story is true and humanity faces extinction, "it remains for us to live as though it were not so."

Medical Man
The Medical Man, also called "the Doctor," is one of three guests present at both dinners, alongside Hillyer and the Psychologist. Holding a note and a watch from the Time Traveller, he suggests that the group start dinner on time as instructed. Initially, he takes the Time Traveller seriously but grows skeptical, suspecting that the Time Traveller tricked them during the demonstration in the first chapter.

The Morlocks
The Morlocks are ape-like creatures living underground in 802,701 A.D., descended from Britain's nineteenth-century working class. They have large eyes, white skin, and fur, and they fear light and fire. The Morlocks prey on the Eloi, using them as a food source. Throughout the middle of the Time Traveller's story, they pursue him, but he eventually fights them off and escapes further into the future using his time machine.

Provincial Mayor
The Provincial Mayor attends the initial dinner. He is unfamiliar with the concept of the fourth dimension and generally lacks knowledge in scientific matters.

Psychologist
The Psychologist is present at both dinners and engages with the Time Traveller during the explanation of his theory. He mentions that time travel would be particularly beneficial for historians, stating, "One might travel back and verify the accepted account of the Battle of Hastings, for instance!" The Time Traveller selects him to activate the lever on the model in the first chapter.

Very Young Man
The very young man attends only the first meeting, where he takes part in the discussion about time travel.

Weena
Weena is an Eloi whom the Time Traveller rescues from drowning when other Eloi fail to help her. She provides insight into the Eloi and accompanies the Time Traveller in his search for The Time Machine. They form a close bond. Tragically, the night before the Time Traveller returns to the past, Weena perishes in a fire set by the Time Traveller to fend off the Morlocks.

Themes and Characters

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The human characters at the beginning of the story represent various types of people with whom Wells himself interacted. Each character—editor, journalist, medical man, psychologist, silent man, and argumentative man—displays skepticism toward the unnamed time traveller's journey. Only the narrator believes in the traveller's tale. The traveller is depicted as a very patient inventor, deeply interested in both scientific inquiry and philosophical thought. His attempts to unravel the mysteries he encounters are articulated with exemplary logic, yet they reveal how easily the human mind can be misled by appearances.

When the traveller arrives in A.D. 802,701, he first encounters the Eloi, delicate and beautiful people whose attire and appearance make no clear distinction between gender or age. They spend their days entirely in play, showing no sustained interest in him or any kind of work. His only enduring companionship comes from Weena, a young woman he saves from drowning in the Thames while the other Eloi stand by helplessly. She shows him constant gratitude and devotion.

Parts were made of nickel, parts of ivory, and some had certainly been filed or sawn out of rock crystal.
Initially, the traveller believes fear has been eradicated in this future world, but he soon realizes the Eloi's fear of the dark. He eventually connects this fear to the apelike, light-averse Morlocks, who emerge at night to capture Eloi and drag them below.

Two vivid passages describe the traveller's encounters with the Morlocks. He explores their underground dwellings and later starts a forest fire to save himself and Weena. When Weena is lost in the fire, the traveller's sole focus becomes recovering his stolen machine and returning home. After a final clash with the Morlocks, he manages to propel the machine forward in time and escape.

Throughout the book, the time traveller's narrative delves into the issues caused by extreme societal stratification, affecting both those living in excessive luxury and those forced to work under inhumane conditions. Wells is often criticized for the pervasive pessimism in his work, and The Time Machine certainly reflects this pessimism. However, there is also the philosopher's hope that if people become aware of the kind of future they are shaping, they might alter its course. Further hope is found in the narrator's closing remarks, after the traveller has vanished into an unknown future. As the narrator gazes at the flowers Weena gave to the traveller, he realizes that "gratitude and mutual tenderness" have survived into the future, even though many other moral values have been lost.

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