The Time Machine by H.G. Wells | Summary & Analysis

Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, and themes in H.G. Wells's novel The Time Machine.


H.G. Wells's seminal science fiction novel The Time Machine popularized the concept of time travel.

It is a story of a scientist who invents a time machine and travels forward into the future. In writing the novel, Wells created an entirely new kind of narrative.

Thousands of years in the future, the Time Traveler finds that humanity has diverged into two species, which form an overclass, the Eloi and an underclass, the Morlocks. One Eloi, Weena, shows the Traveler tenderness, imploring him to again jump into the future, never to return.

English writer H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine was first published in 1895. Unbound to traditional conceptions of time, the story is able to examine the long-term consequences of human behavior. This dystopic prediction was the germ of a genre that persists today, preoccupied with the fascinating and often terrifying prospects that our descendants may face.

The book contains many powerful themes, such as class struggle, love and intelligence, and time travel. Important symbols include flowers representing tenderness between individuals. The Eloi represent elitism and the loss of intelligence and the Morlocks represent oppression and dependency.


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[randomname]

What made this video really good is the delivery and enthusiasm of the speaker. He displays a genuine interest in a classic work of science fiction and literature that more people should know about.

[jeremygreen]

This story gives new meaning to the phrase, "eat the rich."

[sistermorphine]

the music made the whole thing WAY better

[azboomstickco]

Excellent recap. Seriously very well done. You navigate the subtle complexities of the story particularly the narrator and the narrator is talking about the time travelers narration… Extremely well.

[xvor_tex]

The book really ended in a cliff hanger like that 😭 I can't get enough of this book...

[SW-wfgy]

Very well made. The best vide on this classic I have watched!

[LuleGfinance]

Great content, empowered visually. I finished the book and come here. Hitherto this video is the most comprehensive one! Keep up the good work :)

[liquidrope]

THIS DOESNT HELP AT ALL WITH TRYING TO DISECT THE LAST EPISODE OF BCS

[coticg]

this is the BEST SUMMARY EVER!!! thank you so much!!!!

[podcastfan]

Amazing what a pleasure to watch this. Kudos to you!

[sophiemiller]

This was really helpful thank you so much :)

[xvor_tex]

For some reason I imagined the Morlocks as a small slimy pale humanoids with big/ish nocturnal eyes

[JimmyDThing]

In the end, the Time Traveler chooses to go into the past, having already seen the future. There he discovers the same thing: That the future cannot survive as well as the past and so he does not survive the past.

[elizajayne]

Hey ... I’m a time machine repairman..
Just got mine working...
As I look over my past life ... my first time machine controls were when I was 5 .
The activity set was the control panel ...

[justanothergabs]

All right guys, we know why y'all are here

[macorial]

Thank you, what a great video, great visualisation, great music and great speaker

[JAMes-vcgd]

7:58 Jeff Probst: In this game, fire represents your life

[Stardusk.]

Your deduction of the valuable small parts adorning the wider section of this story has given hope to what need to be found in my further disection of man, and art being one being.
Thanks for this knowledge so freely given sir.

[elizajayne]

I got the Wells machine generating energy...
So what’s your problem?

[elizajayne]

He made a tiny model ...
James wimshurst...
The machine looked like a clock ...
His disk went onto h g Welles time machine.