Colonialism Critic Analysis as Found From The Time Machine By H.G Wells

 

Colonialism Critic Analysis as Found From The Time Machine By H.G Wells

 By Lavilette Pine

The Time Machine(1895) written by H.G Wells. H.G Wells (1896-1946) was a pioneer of modern fiction who produced several books concerned  scientific romance to social histories and social satires. The Time Machine(1895) is Wells’s first novel which social warning to his contemporaries in the 1890s or Victorian era. It is warning to the Victorians about the effect capitalism Indutrial Revolution and the stratification of sociaty that disparate social classes.

The Time Machine(1895) first apperead as Science School Journal and write in serial stories  entittled The Chronic Argonauts. Then, in the end of this years its published in the  form of novel. This novel has been adapted into three feature films of the same name that released in 1960, 1978 and  2002. This novel also adaptions in comic or illustration form which inspired many more media production. The Time Machine(1895) was written as a frame narrative and unnamed narrator of the The Time Machine(1895).

The Time Machine(1895) is one of the earliest and influential novel of science-fiction genre. Wells’s coined the popular and interesting concept that inspire dozen of the writers in twenties century. This novel introducing the idea of using a machine for time travel. The terms machine means a vehicle or devices to travel foward or backward through the time.

H.G. Wells not only write the brilliant ideas on time travel and issues happening on that time, but also about feeling which are true in any time. Therefore, the reason why The Time Machine(1895)  is still popular scientific romance until today. This book comsist of twelve chapter. Time Machine(1895) tells about the time-changes and social condition in nineteen centuries. In nineteen centuries which the million people moved from the country to the city to get better life, blooming industry that makes the great number of workers in the cities and new technology is rapidly changing people lives. For some people, believed that science’s can people’s live get better along the increasing new technology.

Wells’s has similar perspective with Karl Marx. He believes that everybody should have the chance to got to school and get well educated. He says that science could improve the people’s lives better and admited the society. In a fact, its needs a knowledge and skill to operate the sophisticated machines. Thats the why only the richer in high sociaty who able to enjoy the things that new machine produces. Most of the ordinary worker and lower society, their family was sufficient, dirty, trap in difficulties condition and often dangereous.

The time machine tells about the story of a man (The Time Traveller)  who claims he has experience to travel through times by time machine. He explain his experience to his group of friends in dinner table conversations in Thursday evening.  They meet dinner in every thursday. The group of gentlement listen the time travel story about time machine but they dont believe it untill the time traveller show off them the time machine.

At the beginning  of the story, Wells shows The Time Traveller lives comfortable in  a large house and has several servants. He has friends who have a good jobs such as a doctor, a psychlogist, medical man,  the provincial mayor and editor  of a newspaper. They had dinner conversation about the theory that the time is the forth dimension of space. He remains the mathematichian through three dimension of space (lenght, breadth and thickness) including one dimension of time. He claims that he has experimented travel in time. He explains the concept of ‘time’ and show off the principles of Time Machine to his friend.

The next day, The Time Traveller set out the machine and fly away to the future. He lands in future year of 802,701 AD. Nearby white marble statue of a sphinx, he meets creatures Eloi. Eloi creature is four feet high with curly hair and wearing a purple tunic with leather belt and sandals. They act like a child.  The Eloi daily activities are playing and eating. When The Time Traveller looking aroud,suddenly he realize that his Time Machine gone.

The Time Traveller being frustated because he cannot find location of hidden time machine. Eloi takes him to the neglected and dirty building where Eloi plays swimming in the pool. Then, he rescues Weena from drowning. The Time Traveller find a large circular well with underground ladder and meets Morlocks who live in underground.

The Time Traveller frigtened by Morlock who nocturnal hunting Eloi brutally. He bring Weena to escape from Mock and find a save place to hidden. He goes to Palace of Green Porcelain, which turn out to be abandoned the museum. Morlocks afraid with fire. The Time Traveller turn the light to avoid their attack. In the Palace of Green Porcelain, he find more matches, some camphor, and a lever which can use as a weapon. Weena are attacked by Morlock after the dark. Weena is dead.

The Time Traveller finds time machines. he saw a portal to pedestal open. The Time Traveller  escape the Morlock attack by manage leap the machines and lift off. He set the time machine flee to the future around three million years. He land on  kdeserted beach. After that he sets the machines to the present and return homes. He tells this experience to his friend on the dinner table.

From the short plot of the time machine above, the writer would like to analysis the theme and the symbol of sphinx in this novel. Actually,  its rather hard to find the main theme of the Time Machines (1895). This novel contain several issues and ambiguous themes of the story. One of the issues of this novel is about Colonialism become the main theme of this paper.

In this paper,  the writer going to explore about how the colonial influence the story. This novel provide sharp criticism for Colonialism in the Victorian history.  Its also have critical perspective on the growing gap of the social status in society between Upper Class and Worker Class. Moreover, The social status described by  the plot as depicted the typcal utopian paradise turn to into a dark dystopian vision of a remote future for mankind.

Colonialism is a system of naturalizing differences in such a way that the hierarchies that justify domination, oppression, and so on are considered the product of the inferiority of certain peoples and not the cause of their so-called inferiority. Their inferiority is ‘natural’, and because it is natural, they ‘have’ to be treated accordingly; that is, they have to be dominated. Historically, colonialism also means invasion and foreign occupation. This foreign occupation is very important because it is a negation of all conceptions of territoriality: meaning states, political organizations, and cultures that existed within the occupied territories prior to their colonial occupation. Colonial domination involves the deliberate destruction of other cultures, (Santos, 2016:18).

Based on the definition of the colonialism above, its obvious that colonialism have relationship with social classes. The time machines (1895) there are two different setting,  in Victorian era and Future.  In the Future The Time Traveller meet Elio and Morlock. The social classes of the time machines(1895) presenting Eloi and Morlock.  The upper class creatures are identified as the Eloi. Wells's defines Eloi as "exquisite creatures" who lives in "palace-like buildings". Wells say:

There were others coming, and presently a little group of perhaps eight or ten of these exquisite creatures were about me. (Chapter IV, p.36)

Here and there among the greenery were palace-like buildings, but the house and the cottage, which form such characteristic features of our own English landscape, had disappeared. (Chapter IV, p.45)

Eloi is representing as Upper Class society. The name Eloi in British might similar to "Elite". Which means Elite refers to Rich and glamour life style.  The name Eloi may invented from Hebrew word Elohim, meaning "God". Its probably refer to someone who have power and influenced of the society to control the lower class. The character of the Eloi in the time machine (1895) are lazy, losing their intelligence and childish. Eloi creates their lifes so easy, laziness beautiful upper world and dont want to work and just play all the day. So,  its make their background and history add up to evolutionary regression. Thats why Eloi losing their intelligence and strength as the characteristic of present day human.  Although,  Eloi was dumb but they are beautiful and graceful. Eloi is pretty little creature that dresden-china type of prettiness. The time traveller says

Indeed, there was something in these pretty little people that inspired confidence—a graceful gentleness, a certain childlike ease.  (Chapter IV, p.36)

In the timen machine (1895) Well's identified creature of Morlock as the working class society.  The Time Traveller described Morlock as the "ape-like" They fit the negative stereotype of a working-class laborer as uncultured, unintelligent, and boorish. Morlock lives in underground. Due to Morlock lives in under the palace for so long time and in the dark condition, they have  loss ability to see a daylight. Well says:

I turned with my heart in my mouth, and a saw queer little ape-like figure, its head held down in the perculiar manner, running across the sunlit space behind me. (Chapter V, p.73)

Morlocks is represent the working class in The Time Machines (1895). Morlocks afraid to the light and fire.  They living in under world and hunting Eloi through Well ladder. Morlock likes natural hunting who makes terror of the darkness. Morlock are cannibal, they eat Elio alive. Morlock as working class are overwork,  uneducated man and literally means invisible slavery underground for the rest of society. Moreover,  Morlock creature potrayed as  primitive and savage predator. The time traveller stated that Morlock is similar to animal but they are a human creature which The Traveller meet in the future. Then,  its may suggestives that the origine term Morlock in the latin root "moor", means death.  Its refer to implying a kind of living deat.

Well's distinctions between two creature Eloi and Morlock as the colonialism of the society and class in the Victorian era. Both of them are not desirable outcome of humanity.  Each of them embodying of the worst characteristics of human race. In the Victorian era, the writer think that the social class in this era have been reduces. Its called Utopia where it has perfect sociaety concerned to  pleasant and advantage society.  Meanwhile in the future where The Time Traveller meet Eloi and Morclocks are Dystopia,  a society that is dysfunctional, lawless, poor, unpleasant, and cruel.

The writer would compare and contrast the colonialism of the social class as  the theme in the time machine (1895), Eloi and Morlock classses with the classes in today's society. The writer will compare the interaction of the Eloi Classes as the Upper society and Morlock classes as the Worker society. The writer also explain about the response and behavior of today's society.

In The Time Machine (1895) there is gap  interaction between Eloi and Morlock. The Time Traveller learns that Eloi afraid to Morlock who lives under ground in the darkness. Eloi apparent like children, they are small creature only four feed high with a curly hair, red lips and wearing silky robes. Eloi plays all day and do not work. All they do just playing, swiming, braiding flower and eating.  They are not intelligent and strenght, cying a lot, and unable communicates with time traveller.  They are cuddling together in the palace and  fear avery night to terror of dark Night. They uncapable to built a run complex machines to protect them from Morlock.  The time traveller says:

And I now understood to some slight degree at least the reason of the fear of the little Upper-world people for the dark. (Chapter VII, p. 92)

The The Time traveller notice how fear Morlock when he spending his time with weena, an Eloi that he saved. Weena is like other Eloi,  she is not really intelligence, graceful and Frightening of the dark.  Weena always accompanied The time traveller, its show when Weena give a flower from her pocket to Time Traveller before he go down in the well to find out the time machine.  The time traveller notes :

It was from her, too, that I learned that fear had not yet left the world. She was fearless enough in the daylight, and she had the oddest confidence in me; for once, in a foolish moment, I made threatening grimaces at her, and she simply laughed at them. (Chapter V,  p.69)

So, the fear of Eloi to Morlock causes a division between the Eloi and Morlocks. The time traveller know one of the reason Eloi frightened to Morlock because Morlock appereance. The time travel states that Morlock similar to animals who lives under the well. Morlock didn't wear clothes, Not dumb as Eliot, they also cannibal And they work like natural hunting. 

The time traveller says Morlock as human spider. The time traveller claoms that Morlock similar to spider when tehy claimbed the well. The time traveller  says:

 It was so like a human spider! It was clambering down the wall, and now I saw for the first time a number of metal foot and hand rests forming a kind of ladder down the shaft. (Chapter V, p.74)

The time traveller also say morlock as human rats. Morlock lives under the well or under ground like rats. The time traveller  says:

 I struggled up, shaking the human rats from me, and, holding the bar short, I thrust where I judged their faces might be. (Chapter IX, p.120)

The last, the time traveller recognize Morlock as Nauseatingly inhuman. Morlock is Cannibal. Thye eats Eloi alive. Its so cruel. The time traveller  says:

You can scarce imagine how nauseatingly inhuman they looked—those pale, chinless faces and great, lidless, pinkish-grey eyes!—as they stared in their blindness and bewilderment. (Chapter VI, p.90)

From what the time traveller shows Morlock character and appearances, It make sense that Eloi didnt just fear to Morlock because they ate Eloi alive but also how they character and how they look. This condition shows that in the 19s the Upper Class afraid to the Worker Class. Its representing on today's class.  The upper class can be called as the real Capitalist.  Its mean they have money and ownership of cooperation and factory. But they cant produces material without worker class.  They need worker class to produces material meanwhile they as the owner or upper class produce nothing. 

Based on Tori DeAngelis (2017) states that those who are in the lower class are more likely to express anger, but those in the higher class feel as though they’re likely to justify what they do because of their position. Its shows that the behavior of the upper class who enjoy their life without working. In other hand, the worker class no matter how they work hard, their family was difficulties and sufficients. Its make the worker class angry and depressed. Its also concerned that people can appreciated based on their job and education. In our society, People look on Seller is better and give more symphatic than a beggar.  They usually look down beggar because their job.

Tori giving notes,  She claim that,  "By contrast, those who enjoy more resources and greater class status live in contexts that enhance their personal power and freedom-larger and safer living spaces, the means to buy high-priced goods and experiences, and education that provides access to influential people, ideas and venues. These conditions give rise to a more self-focused approach to life." Tori want to shows that Upper Class is more successful and motivated.  They have resources, good relationship and greater class status in society that support them to get succes easily.  However,  this is different from Elio who get resources from Morlock as worker class. Eloi needs Morlock to produces material to develop their factories. Eloi produced nothing without them.

The colonialism in The Time Machine (1895) related with time-changed. The time  changed can be distinguish as the modernization or evolutionary from Victorian era. The writer will explain about the technology progress influence the society of the novel. The writer will explain the modernization in  The Time Machine (1895).

The Time Machine (1895) present time change. The writer think that The term change is the best way to measure time. The time traveller explain the time changing from 19s to future year of 802,701 AD. The time traveller meets Eloi and Morlock which has dystopia society culture.  The writer suggest the time traveller probably didnot interest to their culture. The Time Machine (1895) tells story about the great deals of time passed.  How the time traveller travel through space using time machines.

In The Time Machine (1895) The time traveller describe that the technology seems really important part. Unfortunately, the time traveller does not explain what kind of the technology of the time machines he look at in the future. What the time traveller imply is not about how they build the technology, but how the effect of this technology has on people. The time traveller emphasized on how humans adapt to using that technology and how human are changed by it.

The time traveller explain that Victorian era can be the technological pinnacle of humankind, followed by a deterioration of the technological and cultural progress that many people think to continue unlimitedly  into the future. Wells write this novel with the background of industrial revolutionary. Wells add the satire on how people  saturated by the promise of new the technology. To simplifies, technology in the time machine (1985) related to the progressing in the society, lossing intellectual and violence of people.

The time traveller portrayed the effect of technology to Eloi and Morlock species.  As the writer explanition before, the time traveller describe Eloi as laziness beautiful small creature. They are dumb, lack of technology and lack of physical strength or weak. They  are life so easy because they could fulfill their basic needs. They like to playing, sleepin and didn't want to work.  This condition representing human in the future. How the people in the future life so easy with technology. They have been addicted technology.  In a fact, people in the present can't life without technology. For example: they can't life without gadget.

In The Time Machine (1895) also imply how dangerous of technology. Its representing to Morlock.  The time traveller describe Morlock as primitive and savage predator who hunting Eloi. Morlock resorted to Cannibal because they live in underground and they can't insufficient their basic needs.  They make an technology to hunting Eloi.  This is represent how technology can violence and dangerous to society.  In the present day now, the effect of technology to the people can be negative. 

Therefore, the writer think the technology in the time machine can be defines as a good things or bad things for humanity.  Technology can be the good things because technological progress can improve our life, make it everything so easily. In other hand, technology can be the bad things for humanity because the effect of technological progress can destroy the aspect or condition thats make social divison.  The technology effect of The Eloi and Morlock above is the symbolics peril of the technology inovation. This reflected to the Victorian Era, whereas the technology is sign to show the social status, wealth, freedom of upper class and hard life of working class.

From The Time Machine (1895) the writer will analyze the symbol of white sphinx in this novel. White Spinx can be found in the begining where the time travel arrives in the future. White Sphinx is a mystical statue that combining several creature like lion, eagle and human. In Greek culture, the sphinx was seen as a riddler. People who dont know the answer of the riddle were killed or eaten. Here the evidence when the time traveller think to answer the riddle:

It seemed to me that I had happened upon humanity upon the wane. The ruddy sunset set me thinking of the sunset of mankind (Chapter IV, p.48).

This dialog seems there is a connection to the White Sphinx.  This shows that the time traveller observing about the aging of the human race.  So, the writer opinion that White Sphinx is refers to Morlock.  Since its unclear how Morlock kill Eloi but its obvous that Morlock ate Eloi.  This phenomenon indicate in Victorian Era Upper class frightened to the worker class.

To sum up, the major theme in The Time Machine (1895) is Colonialism. Colonialism related to social classes. Morlock as Working class scared Eloi as upper class. This is prove in the 19s Upper class frightened to the worker class. This issues makes divisions in society. White Sphinx symbols is presenting to Morlock.

References

 

Bergozi, Bernard.,& H.G, Wells. 1976. A collection of Critical esays (20th century view). Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River

Course Hero.(2021). The time machine infographic. Retrieved https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Time-Machine/infographic/

DeAngelis, T. (2017). Psychologist photo project puts a lens on youth concerns. American Phychological Association, 48(07),24

Huntington, John. (1991). Critical Essayys on HG Wells. Boston: Hall.

McNamara. The time machine. LitCharts. Retrieved: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-time-machine/

Santos. 2014. Epistemologies of the South justioce against epistemicide. Bouldres/Londres: Paradigm Publisher

Wells, H.G. 1895. The Time Machine. New York: Henry Holtand Company

Well, H.G. (2001) . The Time Machine: An invention Nicholas Rudduck. Orchard Park: Broadview.