Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Chapter Summaries

Chapters 1 and 2

The story begins in the Time Traveler’s home, where he is speaking to a group of men, amongst them, the narrator. The topic is the fourth dimension (time), discussing that a cube exists in time as well as space. The Time Traveler’s theory is that one should be able to move around in time as well as space. For instance, why not move faster or slower in time, not just forward. He produces a miniature time machine, about the size of a smaller clock which is made of ivory and crystal. It has two levers, one to send you into the future, and one to send you into the past. The Time Traveler asks

one of the guests to push the forward lever, which makes the machine disappear. He explains that the machine is moving into the future. The guests are skeptical, and ask why they cannot see the machine. The Time Traveler explains that it is moving too quickly for it to be seen. He compares it to the spokes of a wheel, or a speeding bullet. The guests are in awe. The Time Traveler then shows them a much larger machine, one with which he plans to explore time.

The narrator determined that the guests were very skeptical. The Time Traveler, being of extreme intelligence, was apt to play elaborate pranks. The narrator returns to the house the next week, where there are some former and new guests. They have been told to start dinner without their host. When the Time Traveler finally enters, he is disheveled and very dusty. The narrator explains that their host has been traveling in time. The guests are incredulous and make sarcastic remarks. They raise objections when the Time Traveler wants to tell his story. He is low on energy, waits for everyone to calm down, then says he will speak if no one interrupts.  The guests agree as their attentiveness increases.

Chapters 3 and 4

The Time Traveler gets on the machine, pushing the lever forward.  He checks the clock, five hours have passed. He pushes the lever a bit more. Time starts moving in very rapid succession; the lab disappears, outlines of buildings are in sight, the sun is going in a continuous path across the sky moving up and down with each season. He feels exhilarated, but does worry that when he stops he will land on a solid object and become

obliterated. This fear makes him pull the lever to a stop making him fly headlong through the air.

The Time Traveler enters a hail storm. Once through it, he sees a giant statue of a white sphinx on a bronze pedestal.  He fears the unknown.  Large  buildings come into view. As he turns his time machine over on the right side, he notices figures in rich robes. They are observing him from the closest building. The creature that approaches him is beautiful, but frail and looking very sickly.

More of the creatures, speaking in a “sweet and liquid” tone, surround him. They seem to have no fear. Their appearance is that of curly hair, large eyes and thin red lips. The Time Traveler looks up at the sun, trying to explain where he came from. One of the creatures makes the sound of thunder, thinking that he came from the hail storm. The Time Traveler is disappointed, because he thinks that the creatures may be foolish in

nature.  Their behavior is silly, but humorous when they start running around and showering him with  strange flowers.

The creatures lead the Time Traveler into one of their large buildings, which is covered with strange hieroglyphics. He is given a meal of strange fruit while attempting to learn a few words. The creatures laugh at his attempt to  speak their language, and soon get tired of teaching him.  The Time Traveler walks out to explore the world of  802, 701 A.D.  There are ruins and all of the creatures are living together in huge buildings.

There are no elderly people, and no outward signs of gender. He thinks this is a communist paradise, and that these creatures are a result of world without hardship and fear. The Time Traveler feels that in his own time human intelligence is bent towards making life easier, and now he sees the outcome in these frail naive creatures. Hardship necessitates vigor, keeping man intelligent and strong. Without danger, he feels, there

is no need for the family, which results in the communist way of life that he sees here. Although, as he tells his story, he admits that his theory was incorrect.

Chapter 5

As night approaches, the Time Traveler heads back to his time machine. As he gets closer, he realizes that the time machine is gone. He took the levers, so he is certain that no one else traveled in time, but someone else has moved it in space. He does not believe that the creatures he had met have moved the time machine, as they looked too weak. In a panic, he starts to run around the Sphinx statue, startling a white creature who runs away. The Time Traveler goes into the hall, and angrily demands his time machine from some sleeping creatures who become frightened. The narrator calms down and tries to reason out where his machine might be, and how to get it back.

The Time Traveler thinks that his machine is in the immense pedestal of the Sphinx statue. He tries to open the panels with a rock, but cannot. The creatures become disgusted when he asks them how to open it. Patience becomes important, so he tries to get to know the creatures. He learns more of their language and explores the area. Noted are the wells dotting the landscape, the air is sucked down into them, and the dull sound of machines can be heard below.

He again feels that the creatures come from a decadent, automated civilization, noticing that there are only buildings, and that the clothes must be made somewhere. Still, he does not understand the strange wells, or how his time machine disappeared.

The Time Traveler rescues one of the creatures named Weena from drowning in the river. Weena seems like an affectionate and precocious child who greets him when he returns to the Sphinx, making it seem like home. She is afraid of the dark, and does not want the narrator sleeping elsewhere. One morning, the narrator wakes up at dawn and goes out on to the porch. He imagines seeing white figures moving about. On the fourth morning, he enters an old ruin and finds two big eyes staring at him. It is a white, ape-like creature who stumbles as he flees, disappearing down one of the wells.

Considering the appearance and behavior of the creature, he deduces that it lives underground. He realizes that the wells are a huge ventilation system for an underground race. He imagines that the underground creatures are the laborers of the future society, allowed to come out only at night.
He thinks about in his own time how there is a growing gap between the idle rich and the laborers, and how the wealthy own the huge estates, barring others. He also imagines how overworld creatures have forced the underground creatures to work for them, denying access to the surface.

The underground creatures are called “Morlocks” and the surface creatures are called “Eloi”. When Weena is asked more questions about the Morlocks, she becomes very upset.

Chapters 6 and 7

The Time Traveler feels that he must enter the world of the Morlocks if he wants to retrieve his time machine. When he reaches the the Palace of Green Porcelain he decides that he must descend into one of the wells for a while. Weena sees him and becomes very worried. He comes to a small alcove where decides to rest. The Time Traveler is awakened by the touch of clammy fingers. He lights a match and sees several Morlocks running away. Getting up to explore, he finds a huge chamber filled with Morlocks and the machines that pump air through the caves. They are eating some kind of meat. His matches run out, and he is seized by the Morlocks. He does escape back up the well.

Terribly frightened, he decides that somehow defend himself from the Morlocks. Realizing that the “meat” was probably Eloi, hunted at night, he now understands why the Eloi dreaded night time and referred to the nights as “Dark nights.” He feels that his theory of division of labor carried to the extreme is correct, and at one point the ancestors of the Morlocks were driven underground to work for the ancestors of the Eloi, but now that balance of power has shifted.

The Time Traveler looks for safety in the Palace of Green Porcelain with Weena. She has stuffed his pockets with flowers, where he produces two for his guests, then resuming his story. It was a longer than anticipated journey, finding themselves right outside of a great forest by nightfall. He is afraid to enter the forest because of the Morlocks, so he sets Weena on top of a hill and lets her sleep while he watches for danger.

Chapters 8, 9, and 10

The Time Traveler and Weena reach the Palace of Green Porcelain which is made of just that. ( green porcelain) He manages to find some camphor and preserved matches. Also found are some decayed remains of books and a giant hall of machinery. Weena is frightened as they hear the Morlocks .
Breaking a lever off of one of the machines, he flees to the area of the Sphinx statue, exhausted. They approach the woods as night approaches, hearing the Morlocks behind them. The Time Traveler starts a fire with the materials that he had found earlier so they can guard their retreat. They are surrounded by Morlocks, but have surrounded themselves by the fire, feeling safe.

The Time Traveler awakens, finding himself grasped by the Morlocks. Struggling, he grabs the lever and kills a few of the Morlocks. The rest flee, the first fire becoming a giant forest fire. He cannot find Weena and runs after the Morlocks, hoping they will lead him to safety. When he comes to a clearing with a large hill, he sees confused and blinded Morlocks who are helpless. When morning arrives, he finds his way back to the white sphinx statue, wanting to pry open the pedestal.

Surprised, he finds the pedestal opened and sees his time machine. Smiling, he guesses the Morlocks’ plan of action. He looks for a match, then realizing that he has nothing to strike it against. The Morlocks pounce on him, he desperately struggles on to the machine, barely screws in the lever, pushes it forward and escapes into the future.

 

All reviews were done by Lauren Graber.