The Theme of Social Progress in The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Theme of Social Progress in The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The time machine was written by H.G.Wells in 1895 and is set on new

years eve, 1899 at the end of the century; the time set is significant

because it is at the set of a century, and the beginning of a new time

period. Other writers at the time included George Stevenson and

Stoker, who wrote 'Jekyll and Hyde' and 'Dracula' respectively.

Stories about science and time travelling were very popular at the

time.

Herbert George Wells was born in 1866 in Bromly, a small town near

London. He attended college and graduated with a degree in biology.

His lower-middle-class background and his knowledge of science

influenced his writings. He thought that science would make a better

world. He also thought that humans would destroy their own race by

having a big atomic war and eventually kill each other off. Wells

spent most of his childhood living in a sunless basement, which has

links with the morlocks in the story in that the morlocks live

underground without light. Later in his childhood he moved to an

uppark mansion where he had servants, who moved unseen through

tunnels, again like the morlocks, this was a feature of fin de siecle.

In wells' time, England had a rigid class system with the upper class

almost completely separated from the lower class and there was severe

social inequality. The country was in the middle of an industrial

revolution, and it was an age of invention. Machinery and science were

also evolving. At the time there was also a rise in trade unions, with

a lot of unsatisfied workers.

Wells became interested in science at school and furthered his

inter...

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... the class system. This

relates to the end of the story because the upper class adventully

destroy the lower class, if this happened in 1899, there wouldn't be

anyone producing and all industry would collapse. This can be

prevented by forgetting about the class system and introduce social

equality, and also pay everyone the same wages. I think H.G.Wells is a

pessimist, I think this because the whole story is based around the

human race devolving into two species, one frail and simple, and the

other having power over them and feeding on them. He has done this for

a reason, to try and change the idea of the class system in his time.

My response to the story is that it is a well-written novel of the

time. Wells has also used his experiences in childhood and his

knowledge of science to create a fantastic novel of the time.