V. “The Time Machine” by H.G Wells

Herbert Wells is considered one of the most famous science fiction writers of all ever lived. Even George Orwell wrote the next words:

“Because of him the moon seems nearer and the Stone Age more imaginable, and for that we are immeasurably in his debt." (John S. Partington, p. 46)

"The Time Machine" was written in 1895. Wells was the first writer introduced the idea of time travels by using special machine. The main part of this work describes the world of the future (802,701 per year). This world is a kind of dystopia: scientific progress has led to the degradation of humanity, and the evolution divided humans into two separate species – Morlocks and Eloi. Eloi weak physically, but society does not imply a need for heavy physical labor, as humans reached the peak of technical progress and now live in a state of absolute rest. At the same time, Morlocks lost intellegence, retaining an interest in machines,which has become their native feature after thousands years of evolution.

Morlocks are descendants of “poor” workers, or proletariat, who live in Underworld servicing mechanisms. They are much smaller and weaker than modern man, covered in white fur and do not tolerate bright light. Eloi are descendants of the former “rich” elite of society, or bourgeoisie. Eloi weak and fragile creatures not adapted to work(Domingo, 2008, p. 726). Both of them for many thousands years of existence in conditions that does not require mental activity almost lost their mind and turned into a half-animals(Philmus, 1969, p. 530). For many centuries Morlocks were supplying Eloies with all necessary, but eventually the food in the underground world over and the Morlocks began to hunt Eloi and eat their flesh(Batchelor, 1985, p. 120). In the end, a time traveler finds that after some time the traces of humanity disappeared from the earth. The end of mankind looks like the result of disunity of society. It supports the idea of imperialism, which was popular in the 19th century: the strength in unity(Hausknecht, 1950, p. 206).

Wells theorizes about the growing gap between rich and poor people, pointing to the possible social upheavals that could theoretically happen if the gap increase indefinitely. Wells allowed his readers to think about what would happen if this social phenomenon will continue to expand(Hewitt, 1987, p. 272). All this, of course, exaggerated, as befits to satirical genre. At the same time, Wells blames technical revolution in human degradation. Echoes of his warnings can be seen at the moment. For example, thanks to the internet people are starting to communicate less to each other personally, that it widens the gap between social strata. Road transport undermines the physical health of the person as a person moves less. The presence of various benefits of modern life makes humans unprepared that one day all this may disappear, and no guarantee that humanity will survive.

In the case of “the Time Machine” it is hard to say whether Wells was wrong or hit the bull's eye, as described changes require many years to come true. However, it is pointless to deny that some of the elements described by Wells can be found in today's society, which suggests that Wells' prediction is in the process of fulfillment.

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