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Literary Devices
Definition of Allegory
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and... read full definition
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Class Allegory:
A central facet of The Time Machine is the class allegory that runs through the novel. The narrative serves as a social commentary on the relationship between capitalists and laborers in the 19th century. Through his depiction of the future, H.G. Wells depicts how the imbalance of power between the two groups could lead to mutual destruction. In doing so, The Time Machine delivers a warning about the dangers of blindly pursuing progress without consideration for the down-stream effects of social inequality on human civilization.
In assessing the futuristic human society he encounters, the Time Traveller states:
At first, proceeding from the problems of our own age, it seemed clear as daylight to me that the gradual widening of the present merely temporary and social difference between the Capitalist and the Laborer, was the key to the whole position. No doubt it will seem grotesque enough to you - and wildly incredible! - and yet even now there are existing circumstances to point that way.
In this paragraph, the Time Traveller points to societal inequalities in the present that may have paved the way for the failures and depravities of the future. While in his own time, social differences may seem "temporary," the Traveller warns that these differences may become embedded in human nature if allowed to persist over time. He continues:
Even now, does not an east-end worker live in such artificial conditions as practically to be cut off from the natural surface of the earth?
The Traveller suggests that the Morlocks, who are portrayed as brutish and subterranean creatures, may have an analog in the "east-end worker" who is forced to labor in inhuman conditions. By portraying the Morlocks as simultaneously the victims of systemic injustice and the perpetrators of harm, H.G. Wells suggests that social inequality may corrupt both the fabric of society and humanity itself.
The class allegory H.G. Wells develops adds depth and political complexity to his science fiction. Wells ventures into the realm of social commentary by drawing parallels between Eloi-Morlock relations and the relationship between capitalists and laborers in 1800s society.
Related Themes:
