The Time Machine

After finally reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, one can see why it is so important in the history of the genre of science fiction. However, since I had expected a longer narrative with more details on the Morlocks, I was a little disappointed. Nonetheless, the socialist politics of Wells and his views on evolution, capitalism, and the 19th century's myth of progress provide an interesting opportunity to explore utopia and dystopia through the lens of science fiction. As a socialist of a Fabian bent, one sees the Time Traveller and the unnamed narrator (who sounds a lot like Wells) using the Eloi and Morlocks as a metaphor for the social conflict of the bourgeoisie versus the proletariat. However, as a non-Marxist socialist, one cannot help but feel that the Time Traveller, who identifies more with the physically beautiful Eloi, is still focused on top-down social change and legislating socialism instead of class war (which, presumably, would culminate in the dystopian future evolutionary divergence of the species).

 Moreover, the impact of Darwinism and, perhaps, Hegelian dialectics, indicates a need for a constant struggle of to create new forms. In the distant future visited by the Time Traveller, the descendants of the bourgeoisie have become weak, small, and less intelligent, while the descendants of the proletariat retain some knowledge of machinery but live in the underworld and are reduced to feasting on the Eloi for their survival. A solution to the crisis of capital and labor that retains social inequality will not suffice, but the glimmer of conflict and change is necessary of some sort. What that entailed to Wells in 1895 is not clear to me, but clearly the environment of Social Darwinism, scientific racism, elitism and socialism fueled his imagination over what steps should be taken to avoid entrenched social inequality. Due to his contradictory nature on the dilemma, Wells is thought-provoking, as well as a challenge to the discourse of progress.