Article #35-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells

“The strange exultation that so often seems to accompany hard fighting
came upon me. I knew that both I and Weena were lost, but I determined
to make the Morlocks pay for their meat. I stood with my back to a
tree, swinging the iron bar before me. The whole wood was full of the
stir and cries of them. A minute passed. Their voices seemed to rise to
a higher pitch of excitement, and their movements grew faster. Yet none
came within reach. I stood glaring at the blackness. Then suddenly came
hope. What if the Morlocks were afraid? And close on the heels of that
came a strange thing. The darkness seemed to grow luminous. Very dimly
I began to see the Morlocks about me—three battered at my feet—and then
I recognised, with incredulous surprise, that the others were running,
in an incessant stream, as it seemed, from behind me, and away through
the wood in front. And their backs seemed no longer white, but reddish.
As I stood agape, I saw a little red spark go drifting across a gap of
starlight between the branches, and vanish. And at that I understood
the smell of burning wood, the slumbrous murmur that was growing now
into a gusty roar, the red glow, and the Morlocks’ flight.

“Stepping out from behind my tree and looking back, I saw, through the
black pillars of the nearer trees, the flames of the burning forest. It
was my first fire coming after me. With that I looked for Weena, but
she was gone. The hissing and crackling behind me, the explosive thud
as each fresh tree burst into flame, left little time for reflection.
My iron bar still gripped, I followed in the Morlocks’ path. It was a
close race. Once the flames crept forward so swiftly on my right as I
ran that I was outflanked and had to strike off to the left. But at
last I emerged upon a small open space, and as I did so, a Morlock came
blundering towards me, and past me, and went on straight into the fire!

“And now I was to see the most weird and horrible thing, I think, of
all that I beheld in that future age. This whole space was as bright as
day with the reflection of the fire. In the centre was a hillock or
tumulus, surmounted by a scorched hawthorn. Beyond this was another arm
of the burning forest, with yellow tongues already writhing from it,
completely encircling the space with a fence of fire. Upon the hillside
were some thirty or forty Morlocks, dazzled by the light and heat, and
blundering hither and thither against each other in their bewilderment.
At first I did not realise their blindness, and struck furiously at
them with my bar, in a frenzy of fear, as they approached me, killing
one and crippling several more. But when I had watched the gestures of
one of them groping under the hawthorn against the red sky, and heard
their moans, I was assured of their absolute helplessness and misery in
the glare, and I struck no more of them.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Time Machine by H. G. Wells**

Context of the Excerpt

H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine (1895) is a foundational work of science fiction that explores themes of class struggle, evolution, and the dangers of unchecked industrialization. The novel follows an unnamed Time Traveller who journeys to the year 802,701 AD, where humanity has diverged into two species:

The Eloi—frail, childlike, and surface-dwelling vegetarians, descended from the upper class.
The Morlocks—pale, ape-like carnivores who live underground, descended from the working class, who now prey on the Eloi.

The excerpt occurs near the climax of the novel, after the Time Traveller has befriended Weena, an Eloi woman, and discovered the Morlocks’ cannibalistic nature. Having lost his time machine to them, he sets a fire in the forest to distract them—only to realize too late that the fire has spread uncontrollably, forcing him to flee while the Morlocks, blinded by the light, panic in the open.

Breakdown of the Excerpt

1. The Time Traveller’s Desperation and Defiance

“The strange exultation that so often seems to accompany hard fighting came upon me. I knew that both I and Weena were lost, but I determined to make the Morlocks pay for their meat.”

Tone & Psychological State: The narrator experiences a berserker-like fury, a mix of adrenaline and despair. The phrase "exultation" suggests a twisted joy in violence, contrasting with his earlier scientific detachment.
Themes:
- Survival & Brutality – The Time Traveller, a civilized Victorian gentleman, regresses to primal instincts, mirroring the novel’s Darwinian themes.
- Class Revenge – The Morlocks, once the oppressed working class, now hunt the Eloi (descendants of the elite). His vow to "make them pay" reflects Wells’ critique of cyclical class violence.
Literary Device:
- Irony – The Time Traveller, who initially pitied the Eloi’s weakness, now embraces the same savagery he observed in the Morlocks.

2. The Morlocks’ Unexpected Fear and the Fire’s Revelation

“What if the Morlocks were afraid? [...] The darkness seemed to grow luminous. Very dimly I began to see the Morlocks about me—three battered at my feet—and then I recognised [...] that the others were running [...] and their backs seemed no longer white, but reddish.”

Discovery of Weakness: The Morlocks, who thrive in darkness, are helpless in light—a symbolic reversal. Their "white" skin (from living underground) turns "reddish" in the firelight, foreshadowing their doom.
Themes:
- Light vs. Darkness – Fire, a primitive human tool, becomes the great equalizer, exposing the Morlocks’ vulnerability. This reflects Wells’ belief in science and progress as double-edged swords.
- Evolutionary Regression – The Morlocks, adapted to darkness, are now maladapted to a changing environment, a warning about specialization in evolution (and, by extension, class systems).
Literary Devices:
- Imagery – The shift from "blackness" to "luminous" firelight creates a stark visual contrast.
- Foreshadowing – The "red" glow hints at bloodshed and the Morlocks’ impending destruction.

3. The Fire’s Uncontrollable Spread and Weena’s Fate

“Stepping out from behind my tree and looking back, I saw [...] the flames of the burning forest. It was my first fire coming after me. With that I looked for Weena, but she was gone.”

Loss of Control: The fire, meant as a tactical distraction, becomes an apocalyptic force, consuming the forest. This mirrors the novel’s warning about unintended consequences of human actions (e.g., industrialization leading to ecological collapse).
Weena’s Disappearance:
- Symbolism – Weena, the last Eloi the Time Traveller cared for, vanishes, reinforcing the futility of his intervention. Her fate suggests the inevitability of extinction for both species.
- Emotional Impact – The abrupt "she was gone" underscores the indifference of nature (and time) to individual suffering.
Literary Device:
- Pathetic Fallacy – The fire’s "hissing and crackling" personifies nature as a hostile force, reflecting the Time Traveller’s desperation.

“Upon the hillside were some thirty or forty Morlocks [...] dazzled by the light and heat, and blundering hither and thither [...] I was assured of their absolute helplessness and misery in the glare, and I struck no more of them.”

Role Reversal: The Morlocks, once predators, are now prey—their "blindness" (both literal and metaphorical) highlights their dependence on darkness. This inverses the Eloi’s earlier vulnerability.
The Time Traveller’s Moral Shift:
- Initially, he fights in a "frenzy of fear", but upon realizing their suffering, he stops killing. This moment of compassion contrasts with the novel’s otherwise bleak view of humanity.
- Ambiguity: Is his mercy genuine, or is he simply too exhausted to fight? Wells leaves this open, reinforcing the moral ambiguity of survival.
Themes:
- The Cost of Progress – The Morlocks’ suffering is a direct result of their ancestors’ industrial exploitation, suggesting that civilization’s advancements may lead to its own downfall.
- Empathy vs. Survival – The scene questions whether humanity (in any form) can retain morality in extreme conditions.
Literary Devices:
- Symbolism – The "hillock" (a burial mound) and "scorched hawthorn" evoke death and rebirth, hinting at the cyclical nature of history.
- Sensory Imagery – The "gusty roar" of fire and "moans" of the Morlocks create a hellish soundscape, reinforcing the dystopian tone.

5. The Final Horror: A "Fence of Fire"

“Completely encircling the space with a fence of fire. [...] At first I did not realise their blindness, and struck furiously at them with my bar [...]”

Apocalyptic Imagery: The "fence of fire" traps the Morlocks in a biblical inferno, suggesting divine retribution for their cannibalism. Wells, an atheist, likely uses this ironically—nature, not God, enforces justice.
Blindness as Metaphor:
- The Morlocks’ literal blindness in light mirrors their metaphorical blindness to their own doom—a critique of short-sighted industrialization.
- The Time Traveller’s initial failure to recognize their helplessness reflects humanity’s slow realization of its own flaws.
Significance:
- This scene is the climax of the novel’s horror—not just because of the violence, but because it reveals the fragility of both species. Neither Eloi nor Morlocks are fit to survive, suggesting that humanity’s future may be extinction.

Key Themes in the Excerpt

Darwinian Struggle & Evolution – The Morlocks’ adaptation to darkness becomes their downfall, illustrating maladaptation in evolution.
Class Conflict – The Morlocks (working class) now hunt the Eloi (upper class), but their shared doom suggests class warfare is ultimately self-destructive.
Fire as a Double-Edged Sword – A tool of progress (cooking, industry) becomes an agent of destruction, reflecting Wells’ ambivalence about technology.
The Illusion of Civilization – The Time Traveller, a man of science, regresses to savagery, showing how thin the veneer of civilization is.
Futility & Extinction – Neither species can survive, implying that humanity’s current path leads to ruin.

Literary Devices & Style

Device	Example	Effect
Imagery	"The darkness seemed to grow luminous"	Creates a shift from terror to revelatory horror.
Foreshadowing	"Their backs seemed no longer white, but reddish"	Hints at bloodshed and the fire’s deadly spread.
Irony	The Morlocks, once hunters, are now blind prey	Reinforces the novel’s theme of reversed power dynamics.
Pathetic Fallacy	"The hissing and crackling behind me"	Nature mirrors the Time Traveller’s desperation.
Symbolism	Fire = destruction but also human ingenuity	Ambiguous—both a tool and a curse.
Stream of Consciousness	"What if the Morlocks were afraid?"	Mimics the Time Traveller’s panicked realization.

Significance of the Excerpt

Climactic Turning Point – The fire forces the Time Traveller to abandon Weena and escape, leading to his eventual return to the present.
Wells’ Social Warning – The Morlocks’ fate symbolizes the dangers of unchecked industrialization and class division, a critique of Victorian England’s exploitation of the working class.
Existential Horror – The scene strips away hope for humanity’s future, suggesting that progress may lead to annihilation.
Moral Ambiguity – The Time Traveller’s shift from violence to mercy questions whether humanity can retain ethics in a brutal world.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is one of the most visceral and thematically rich in The Time Machine. It blends action, horror, and philosophical depth, encapsulating Wells’ fears about humanity’s self-destructive tendencies. The fire, a primitive yet powerful force, becomes a metaphor for progress itself—both illuminating and devastating. The Morlocks’ blind panic serves as a warning: adaptation can become a trap, and civilization, if built on exploitation, may collapse into savagery.

Ultimately, the passage leaves the reader with a haunting question: If this is the future, is humanity doomed to repeat its mistakes? Wells offers no easy answers—only a chilling vision of what might be.

Questions

Question 1

The Time Traveller’s shift from violent resistance to restraint upon realising the Morlocks’ blindness is most fundamentally a commentary on:

A. the inherent moral superiority of human rationality over animalistic survival instincts.
B. the futility of compassion in a world governed by Darwinian struggle.
C. the fragility of ethical boundaries when confronted with the collapse of perceived hierarchies of power.
D. the redemptive potential of suffering as a catalyst for spiritual enlightenment.
E. the inevitability of role reversal in cyclical historical conflicts between oppressed and oppressor.

Question 2

The description of the Morlocks’ skin shifting from "white" to "reddish" in the firelight serves primarily to:

A. underscore the biological adaptability of the Morlocks to environmental stressors.
B. highlight the Time Traveller’s subjective perception of threat as a psychological coping mechanism.
C. foreshadow the literal bloodshed that will occur as the fire consumes the forest.
D. symbolise the exposure of their vulnerability when removed from the conditions of their dominance.
E. contrast the Morlocks’ subterranean existence with the Eloi’s surface-dwelling fragility.

Question 3

The "fence of fire" encircling the Morlocks is most thematically resonant with which of the following ideas?

A. The purifying power of natural forces to cleanse societal corruption.
B. The inevitability of technological progress outpacing human ethical development.
C. The paradox of human ingenuity creating the very conditions of its own entrapment.
D. The cyclical nature of historical violence as a form of divine justice.
E. The Eloi’s passive acceptance of their fate as a metaphor for decadent civilisations.

Question 4

The Time Traveller’s observation that "none [of the Morlocks] came within reach" despite their numbers is most effectively interpreted as:

A. an illustration of the Morlocks’ strategic intelligence in assessing risk.
B. a moment of dramatic irony where the reader, but not the narrator, recognises their fear of light.
C. evidence of the Time Traveller’s unreliable narration due to his heightened adrenaline.
D. a metaphor for the working class’s hesitation to revolt against oppressive systems.
E. a narrative device to prolong suspense before the fire’s revelation.

Question 5

The passage’s depiction of Weena’s disappearance is structurally significant because it:

A. reinforces the Eloi’s evolutionary inferiority by erasing their presence from the climax.
B. underscores the narrative’s indifference to individual suffering in the face of existential threats.
C. serves as a moral punishment for the Time Traveller’s earlier failure to protect her.
D. symbolises the Eloi’s passive complicity in their own extinction.
E. creates a sentimental contrast to the Morlocks’ violent demise.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The Time Traveller’s initial violence stems from a position of perceived dominance (defending against predators), but his restraint emerges when the Morlocks’ blindness collapses that hierarchy. His ethical hesitation is not about inherent morality (A) or futility (B), but about the instability of moral frameworks when power dynamics shift. The passage emphasises how easily ethics become contingent in extreme conditions, aligning with Wells’ critique of Victorian hypocrisy—where "civilised" values dissolve under pressure.