Anneli Xie
Prof. Quinn Slobodian
HIST 240: Concrete Utopias: The Rise of the Modern European City
2020/09/14
Prof. Quinn Slobodian
HIST 240: Concrete Utopias: The Rise of the Modern European City
2020/09/14
Utopias
and Dystopias: Elois and Morlocks in H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine
Written
at the fin de siècle, in 1895, H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine is a
speculation of the future of society and humankind. In this dystopian science-fiction
novel, the protagonist – the Time Traveller – travels to the far future
in hope of learning about the world from his successors. Ending up in 802,701 A.D.,
the Time Traveller spends a week observing the world as it has become inhabited
by the Eloi and the Morlocks. Through a re-telling of his travels to this distant
time, The Time Machine, while remaining speculative about the future,
also reveals some of the deepest fears of the Victorian era in which it was
written. Through examining the Eloi and Morlocks in The Time Machine, I
will argue that what begins as a vision of communist utopia discloses itself in
a capitalist dystopia, revealing some of the most pressing social anxieties of
urban life at the time of the novel’s production.
Wells’ story of The Time Machine begins in Richmond, England, in the late 1890s. During this time, the boom and bust of the industrial revolution had already defined the city for many years. In The Condition of the Working Class in England, Friedrich Engels describes the filth, famine, and disease that cloud the everyday life of the urban poor, while critiquing the rich for “not troubl[ing] itself about them.” (Engels 1892, 21) Even more so, Engels states that the urban poor are often hiding in plain sight, “close to the palaces of the rich […] where, removed from the sight of the happier classes, it may struggle along as it can.” (Engels 1892, 2) Similarly, in Cities of Tomorrow, Peter Hall writes about the “dreadfulness of the Victorian city” (Hall 2014, 13) as one of the major themes of the decade. Drawing from newspaper publications describing the living conditions of those in poverty, Hall argues that the upper classes felt “not guilt but fear” for the poor, scared that they may rise in insurrection. (Hall 2014, 25-26)
It is in this increasing tension between the upper and lower classes that Wells’ centers the two species of his novel. The Eloi, “beautiful and graceful […], but indescribably frail,” (Wells 1895, 18) represent the Victorian upper classes and their leisurely lifestyle. As industrial capitalism soared in the fin de siècle, this leisurely behavior also came to extend to the middle-classes, as mass-production escalated and “the illusion of princely wealth [was afforded] to the masses.” (Williams 1991, 224) In line with the leisure of the wealthy, Wells’ describes the Eloi as having “no vestige of creative tendency” because they did not work and “spent all their time in playing gently.” (Wells 1895, 32) In contrast, the Morlocks, dehumanized into “bleached, obscene, nocturnal Thing[s],” (Wells 1895, 35) represent the laboring class, seen in their control of the “throb and hum of machinery.” (Wells 1895, 40)
Movie poster from the 1960 movie adaption of Wells’ story. Featuring the Time Traveller protecting the Eloi from the evil Mordocks
At the Time Traveller’s initial meeting with the Eloi, he is quick to assume that the they live in a “social paradise;” because of the lack of competition and class struggle among them. Whereas the Time Traveller has his own idea of utopia, he contends with what he finds. He thinks the Eloi are idle and naïve, attributing their weaknesses to communism. (Wells 1895, 22) The unveiling of the underground Morlocks, however, confuses his assumption. The Time Traveller concludes that the Morlocks are poor slaves working for the aristocratic Eloi – drawing connections to the Victorian era in which he is from – but withdraws this hypothesis after finding out that the Eloi fear the Morlocks greatly. Instead, the Time Traveller finds, the brute Morlocks rule the world, raising and providing for the Eloi as “fatted cattle” before eating them. (Wells 1895, 46) Within the span of a few chapters, what seemed like a communist utopia has turned into a capitalist dystopia; and much like Wells’ subtle critique of communism, this version of capitalism doesn’t seem to be very ideal either.
Continuously referring to both the Eloi and the Morlocks as his own descendants, it dawns upon the Time Traveller that he ought to see this distant future as a warning to his own Victorian society. Here, Wells plays upon the greatest fear of the upper classes, as previously described by Hall: an uprising of the urban poor. (Hall 2014, 26) The Time Machinefunctions as a cautionary story to Victorian industrial capitalists: if class conditions aren’t improved, society might end up, using Wells’ own words, “in part reversed.” (Wells 1895, 43) As such, The Time Machine is a telling story of the inequality that persisted in the Victorian England that Wells was familiar with, revealing some of the most pressing social anxieties of urban life at the time of the novel’s production.
Engels, Friedrich, The Condition of the Working Class in England. London: Sonnenschein & Co, 1892.
Hall, Peter. Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design Since 1880, 4th edition. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2014.
Wells, George Herbert. The Time Machine. London: William Heinemann, 1895.
Williams, Rosalind. “The Dream World of Mass Consumption.” In Rethinking Popular Culture: Contemporary Perspectives in Cultural Studies, edited by Chandra Mukerji and Michael Schudson, 198–235. Berkely and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991.
Wells’ story of The Time Machine begins in Richmond, England, in the late 1890s. During this time, the boom and bust of the industrial revolution had already defined the city for many years. In The Condition of the Working Class in England, Friedrich Engels describes the filth, famine, and disease that cloud the everyday life of the urban poor, while critiquing the rich for “not troubl[ing] itself about them.” (Engels 1892, 21) Even more so, Engels states that the urban poor are often hiding in plain sight, “close to the palaces of the rich […] where, removed from the sight of the happier classes, it may struggle along as it can.” (Engels 1892, 2) Similarly, in Cities of Tomorrow, Peter Hall writes about the “dreadfulness of the Victorian city” (Hall 2014, 13) as one of the major themes of the decade. Drawing from newspaper publications describing the living conditions of those in poverty, Hall argues that the upper classes felt “not guilt but fear” for the poor, scared that they may rise in insurrection. (Hall 2014, 25-26)
It is in this increasing tension between the upper and lower classes that Wells’ centers the two species of his novel. The Eloi, “beautiful and graceful […], but indescribably frail,” (Wells 1895, 18) represent the Victorian upper classes and their leisurely lifestyle. As industrial capitalism soared in the fin de siècle, this leisurely behavior also came to extend to the middle-classes, as mass-production escalated and “the illusion of princely wealth [was afforded] to the masses.” (Williams 1991, 224) In line with the leisure of the wealthy, Wells’ describes the Eloi as having “no vestige of creative tendency” because they did not work and “spent all their time in playing gently.” (Wells 1895, 32) In contrast, the Morlocks, dehumanized into “bleached, obscene, nocturnal Thing[s],” (Wells 1895, 35) represent the laboring class, seen in their control of the “throb and hum of machinery.” (Wells 1895, 40)
Movie poster from the 1960 movie adaption of Wells’ story. Featuring the Time Traveller protecting the Eloi from the evil Mordocks
At the Time Traveller’s initial meeting with the Eloi, he is quick to assume that the they live in a “social paradise;” because of the lack of competition and class struggle among them. Whereas the Time Traveller has his own idea of utopia, he contends with what he finds. He thinks the Eloi are idle and naïve, attributing their weaknesses to communism. (Wells 1895, 22) The unveiling of the underground Morlocks, however, confuses his assumption. The Time Traveller concludes that the Morlocks are poor slaves working for the aristocratic Eloi – drawing connections to the Victorian era in which he is from – but withdraws this hypothesis after finding out that the Eloi fear the Morlocks greatly. Instead, the Time Traveller finds, the brute Morlocks rule the world, raising and providing for the Eloi as “fatted cattle” before eating them. (Wells 1895, 46) Within the span of a few chapters, what seemed like a communist utopia has turned into a capitalist dystopia; and much like Wells’ subtle critique of communism, this version of capitalism doesn’t seem to be very ideal either.
Continuously referring to both the Eloi and the Morlocks as his own descendants, it dawns upon the Time Traveller that he ought to see this distant future as a warning to his own Victorian society. Here, Wells plays upon the greatest fear of the upper classes, as previously described by Hall: an uprising of the urban poor. (Hall 2014, 26) The Time Machinefunctions as a cautionary story to Victorian industrial capitalists: if class conditions aren’t improved, society might end up, using Wells’ own words, “in part reversed.” (Wells 1895, 43) As such, The Time Machine is a telling story of the inequality that persisted in the Victorian England that Wells was familiar with, revealing some of the most pressing social anxieties of urban life at the time of the novel’s production.
References
Engels, Friedrich, The Condition of the Working Class in England. London: Sonnenschein & Co, 1892.
Hall, Peter. Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design Since 1880, 4th edition. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2014.
Wells, George Herbert. The Time Machine. London: William Heinemann, 1895.
Williams, Rosalind. “The Dream World of Mass Consumption.” In Rethinking Popular Culture: Contemporary Perspectives in Cultural Studies, edited by Chandra Mukerji and Michael Schudson, 198–235. Berkely and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991.