Social Structure Dystopia:
A Theme Analysis in The Time Machine
Nurul Kamilah Mat Kamil
1007C10614
Period 5
ENG3U
Mr. S. Wise
October 20, 2010
H.G. Wells was considered a visionary at his time, and
the father of science fiction. Through his didactic writings, he made
predictions of the future, including the evolution of social structure. In The Time Machine, he predicted the human
race would evolve into two different species, the Elois and the Morlocks, due
to a capitalist social system that is taken to extreme levels. Human beings no
longer appreciated knowledge, and language had regressed to a “sweet and liquid
tongue” (29). Wells believed that this was a consequence of social
stratification. However, Well’s pessimistic view of the future may not
necessarily be true because his writings were influenced by his background ,
his negative perception of human nature
and his pessimism of the future of science and technology.
Born to a shopkeeper and a housekeeper, Wells’
impoverished family background is one of the reasons that compelled him to
write about class struggles. “Again, the exclusive tendency of richer people …
is already leading to closing, in their interest, of considerable portions of
the surface of the land.” (57). In 1700, 80% of the population of England
earned its income from the land. A century later, that figure had dropped to
40% as more people turned to manufacture (“Lecture”). This resulted in a new
class division: The factory owners and the workers. The workers were mistreated
by their employers and they gained only as much as the surplus value. It became
evident that the strikingly different lifestyles of the workers and upper class
were made more prominent by the Industrial Revolution (Lovett).These conditions
further spurred Wells’ belief in the outcome of social stratification as put
forward in his novel. In contrary, these conditions weren’t permanent as social
mobility was possible, given opportunity and education. Wells was able to break
out of his own class to become a teacher and had a brief involvement in politics.
Despite the misery prevalent in many quarters and the chaos created by periodic
"busts," the majority of workers during the second half of the 19th
Century were better off than their parents (Brian). Living standards were improving
with the industrial revolution. When urbanization began, the government had to
make improvements to the living conditions of the people. Expansion in
international trade also increased the nations’ income to make further
investments in production and improvement of living conditions. Later on, Wells
was involved in the Fabian society which supported Marxist views. Wells was
heavily influenced by the society and this is evident through the protagonist, the
Time Traveller, who first thought that the perfect place of the future was a
result of a Communistic rule as he muttered “Communism” (53). In fact, at that
time, there were many other writers who wrote about class struggles, such as
Karl Marx and Herbert Spencer, who could have influenced Wells’ writings. Karl
Max believed that a working class revolution must occur because the class that
maintains rule forcibly over other classes by means of economic oppression is
considered a dictatorship rule (“What”). To make a Communistic view seem like
the ideal doctrine, Wells had to show that the Capitalist system will bring
about negative impacts in the future. For this purpose, Wells had chosen the
Elois and Morlocks, as the model for a Capitalist social structure dystopia.
Meanwhile, political and social revolutions in Russia and France have inspired
many social movements in other parts of the world in favour of Communism and a
new world order. However, not all of these revolutions brought about positive
changes. Not only was there bloodshed in the process, but the new societal
order wasn’t stable because total equality cannot be achieved as power is still
abused by a single individual. Communism is an unstable system, which, inevitably,
descends into a totalitarian government, Stalinist, fascistic or neo-nazi
(Cantu). In short, Wells’ background of poverty and emergence of class division
during the Industrial revolution as well as influence from other writers and
international events had as much influenced The
Time Machine, and the pessimistic view he has on social structure
evolution.
Wells also had a
strong conviction that human beings’ selfish nature overpowers his other values
- “Man had been content to live in ease and delight upon the labors of his
fellow man, had taken Necessity as his watchword and excuse, “(71). To Wells and many Communists, this seemed
unjust as the wealth has to be redistributed to ensure fairness among the
nation. Then, there will be no discrimination or oppression. Slogans of social
justice appealed to the “saintly side” of human beings, and “noble thoughts of
putting oneself before others” (Pilgrim). Ironically, even Communism can be
consumed by the human beings’ inherent selfish nature that Wells claimed was
the root of the Capitalist social system problem. The nature of power is such
that it corrupts minds and absolute power corrupts absolutely. An example of
how communism can concentrate absolute power over a whole nation, in the hands
of a single man, would be the Stalinist Russia (Pilgrim). It is evident that
although Communism seemed like the more ideal system, yet, it is not any better
than Capitalism. In fact, it can incur other problems, because there is a need
to control every person in the state to ensure that everything is all fair, and
when one person is appointed to do so, power eventually tips in favour to that
single person. Eventually, the Communist government develops into an autocracy
or dictatorship. Until now, many Communist governments have fallen, and have
not lasted as long as other forms of government. It is clear that Capitalism's
cycles may be irrational and painful, but they proved in the long run less destructive
than vain attempts to control every aspect of large modern economies (Brian). Britain
herself didn’t become a Communist state, despite the emergence of social stratification
due to Capitalism because people became more aware of human rights. Wells’ effort
to make a new world order a goal of Allied policy resulted in a declaration of
human rights issued by a committee of public figure under his chairmanship that
helped pave way for the less sweeping human rights declaration of the United
Nations in 1948 (Wagar). Human beings’ emotional intelligence does not regress
with the advancement of technology. In the novel itself, Wells expressed his
hope that man had not completely lost his virtue - “even when mind and strength
had gone, gratitude and a mutual tenderness still lived on in the heart of man”
(102). Ferdinand Tönnies, a German
sociologist suggested that human beings relate to each other as a community, in
which people are bound together by common traditions and ties of affection and
solidarity (Radcliffe-Brown). In fact, emotional intelligence becomes more
important as our societies become more complex. The human being’s capacity for
emotion does not enable a human being to relate to one another unemotionally. Human
beings have an incredibly rich and complex emotional life that provides value
to our experiences, motivation to our actions, and a dimension of communication
beyond spoken words (Jackson). As the pace of change is increasing, a person's
cognitive, emotional, and physical resources will become increasingly
important. And this will improve both productivity and psychological well-being
(Amar). As long as human beings still have emotional capacity, a society won’t collapse.
In a nutshell, Well’s belief of the
overpowering selfish human nature in his criticism of Capitalism is
counter-argued with the fact that human rights are eventually being recognized and human emotional
intelligence does not regress with a progression in technology .
In addition to that, Wells’ also had
a pessimistic view of the future of science and technology - “I grieved to
think how brief the dream of the human intellect had been. It had committed
suicide. It had set itself steadfastly toward comfort and ease,” (87). At his
time, Wells saw the birth of many new inventions that facilitated the
Industrial Revolution, such as the cotton-spinning devices and the steam
engine. Most of those inventions came about for industrial purposes, and
nothing more. Most people were optimistic about the further milestones they can
reach with Science at that time, but to Wells, technology only benefitted a certain
group of people not all classes. “The rich
had been assured of his wealth and comfort, the toiler assured of his life and
work.” (87) However, it can be argued that the reason for the adoption of
innovations by larger groups is the example of higher status groups, which are
reference groups for other people. Successful innovations, which affect the
majority of the people of a society, tend to follow a pattern of diffusion from
higher to lower status groups (Radcliffe-Brown). At Wells’ time, Science and
Technology was at its infancy and Wells had not lived long enough to see the
wonders Science had done for mankind. Science has helped human beings
understand themselves more than before. It is an integral part of human development.
It seems almost impossible to think that all our discoveries will come to finality.
Auguste Comte, a French philosopher and sociologist, advanced a "law of
three stages," according to which mankind progresses from a theological
stage, which is dominated by religion, through a metaphysical stage, in which
abstract speculative thinking is most prominent, and onward toward a positivist
stage, in which scientific theories based on empirical research come to
dominate (Radcliffe-Brown). This is because not only does the human brain
develop with advancement in Science, but at the same time, the developing human
brain also spurs further advancement in Science. Presently, technology is
quickly evolving. From discoveries of new disciplines of science like
nanotechnology and biomedical science, human beings are making their way to a
prosperous knowledgeable society. With the increasing capacity of information
storage and transfer via the internet, almost everyone has access to knowledge
within a click of a button. Wells’ pessimism of the future of Science and
technology is due to the fact that during his time when new inventions were
being made, the technology only benefited an exclusive group. However, Science,
in truth, has benefitted human beings more than hindered human beings in the
long run as it is an integral part of human development.
In conclusion, although the premises
of social structure and science were explored with such imagination and
insight, an individual’s writings are more often than not influenced by his
perceptions and beliefs. Due to emotional capacity, most of one’s life
experiences, like upbringing and social events, as well as environment would
profoundly affect creative thought processes. Of course, people are generally
entitled to their own views, so it is up to the readers themselves to be
critical of the message conveyed in a novel, as to whether or not it is
plausible or not.
Word
count: 1786
Works Cited
Amar,
Neha. “Emotional Intelligence – An Ingredient For Social Intelligence.” Indian MBA. May 8 2006. Web. October 9 2010.
Brian,
Paul. “Introduction to 19th-Century Socialism”. Washington State University. March 28
2005. Web. September 24 2010.
Cantu,
Tony. “Communism vs. Capitalism in the New Millennium”. Learn USA. n.d. Web. September
27 2010.
Jackson,
William H. “Human Emotional Development”. Cybermesa.
December 10 2003. Web. October 18 2010.
“Lecture
17 - The Origins of the Industrial Revolution in England.” History Guide. n.d. Web. September
24 2010.
Lovett,
Richard A., “H.G. Wells Predictions Ring True, 143 Years Later”. National Geographic
News. September 21, 2009. Web. September 30 2010.
Pilgrim,
Gray. “Communism vs. Capitalism”. Buzzle.
n.d. Web. September 28 2010.
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A.R. “Social Structure and Change.” Enyclopaedia
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Wagar,
W. Warren. “H.G. Wells and the Genesis of Future Studies”. World Network of Religious
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n.d. Web. September 25 2010.
Wells,
H.G. The Time Machine. London: Pan
Books Ltd. In association with William Heinemann,
1983. Print.
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