The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

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The Time Machine, H.G. Wells? first masterpiece as an author, is much more than a science fiction novel about the future. Although at a glance The Time Machine may seem to be a fictional glance at the future, but once investigated it is understood that Wells incorporates a wealth of knowledge into his work. Wells uses satire and parody ingeniously to sculp an image of the social division of England at the time. He also craftily represents present day England using the future resulting from the theory of Social Darwinism. The Time Machine is not only a look into the future, but also a look back into the past and the way things were in England around the 1900's.

A parody is a feeble or ridiculous imitation. The Time Machine is in itself a large drawn out parody. Wells? storyline of The Time Machine is based entirely of his view of England in the 1900's.

Wells? view is very skewed because he was not of the upper class and therefore had a pessimistic view of England. Wells describes the Eloi as such: ?...for I never met people more indolent or more easily fatigued.? pp. 37 Why else would he represent the upper class by the lazy ?Eloi,?and the lower or working class represented by the ?Morlocks?(vicious creatures that fed on the Eloi). His novel portrays in a Pg. 2 comical yet serious manner of how the upper class depends on the working class for their existence. Ridiculous it may be, but it describes the social class of England fairly accurately. Wells also uses satire as well in his novel, satire is defined as a swift witty comment on human nature. By representing the upper and lower class the way he does he is obviously satirizing them even stereotyping...