“For the first time I began to realize an odd consequence
of the social
effort in which
we are at
present engaged. And
yet, come to
think, it is
a logical consequence
enough. Strength is the outcome
of need; security
sets a premium
on feebleness. The
work of ameliorating
the conditions of
life—the true civilizing
process that makes
life more and
more secure—had gone
steadily on to a climax. One triumph of a united humanity over Nature
had followed another.” (37)
“I thought of the physical slightness of the people, their
lack of
intelligence, and those
big abundant ruins,
and it strengthened
my belief in
a perfect conquest
of Nature. For
after the battle
comes Quiet. Humanity
had been strong,
energetic, and intelligent,
and had used
all its abundant
vitality to alter
the conditions under
which it lived.
And now came
the reaction of
the altered conditions. ‘Under the
new conditions of
perfect comfort and
security, that restless
energy, that with
us is strength,
would become weakness.
Even in our
own time certain
tendencies and desires,
once necessary to
survival, are a
constant source of failure.” (39)
Upon discovering that humanity had not involved with complete uniformity, but rather two distinct species: the Uppergrounders and Below Grounders, the Eloi and the Morlocks, the Time Traveller begins speculating on the cause of this divergence. Being the intellectual that he is, the Time Traveller uses the lens of Social Darwinism to refine his theory. It is in this refined theory, that the true social commentary lies.
“The Upper-world people might once have been the
favoured aristocracy, and
the Morlocks their
mechanical servants: but
that had long
since passed away.” (71)
The Time Traveller postulates:
“And then I
thought once more
of the meat that I had seen. I
felt assured now of what it was, and
from the bottom
of my heart
I pitied this
last feeble rill
from the great
flood of humanity.
Clearly, at some
time in the Long-Ago of human decay the Morlocks’ food had run short.
Possibly they had lived on rats and such-like vermin.” (77)
The Time Traveller concludes that at some point, the Morlocks and the Eloi lived separate from eachother peacefully, but at some point in time, the peace was jeopardized, and as a result, the once powerful Eloi, now consigned to indolence, were being preyed upon by the once oppressed Morlocks.
“Then I tried
to preserve myself
from the horror
that was coming
upon me, by
regarding it as
a rigorous punishment
of human selfishness.
Man had been
content to live in ease and
delight upon the labours of his fellow-man,
had taken Necessity
as his watchword
and excuse, and
in the fullness
of time Necessity
had come home
to him.” (78)
If the Eloi are the aristocracy, and the Morlocks are the working class, Wells commentary is evident. Separation of the working class from the aristocracy in such a strict and rigid fashion will ultimately culminate in violence when one of the groups inevitably seeks to reject the societal bounds. The Social commentary is made even more coherent when considering the Time Traveller's own thoughts of the separation of class in England:
"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? (60)"
While the theories of Social Darwinism help to create a science fiction text that is somewhat accurate in speculation, they are far more impactful to the readers as they apply to the current societal conditions. The separation of the aristocracy and the working class, made larger and larger by gaps in education and affluence are explicitly warned against by Wells. The ideas of social structure and their implications for the future generations of society that Wells deals with are profound, and carry relevance even in today's society.
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