The Time Machine- H.G. Wells - Essay Example

Un d characters in Time Machine Time Machine is novel that depicts the travelling adventures of “ time traveler” who through his wonderful invention travels across time and enjoys the cruises to past and future. The novel exposes the inhuman situation of modern man and mocks at the utopias envisioned by man. The theme and technique both are unique. The writer has used an unnamed character as his protagonist. Instead of giving his hero a proper name the writer has mentioned him as “ time traveler”.

Similarly the identity of the narrator is as ambiguous as time traveler. One cause of using an un-named character might be the element of suspense and curiosity. The writer may have used the word “ time traveler” in order to increase the readers’ interest in the story. The readers must have developed an urge to know who this time traveler is. For that reason the readers must have read the story till the end. H.G.Wells himself considers it convenient to name the protagonist as time traveler.

In the initial lines of the novel the writer declares, “ The Time Traveller(for it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us” ( Wells 5). Another reason may be that the main priority of the writer may be the events of the story not the characters. Perhaps “Wells’ focus is on atmosphere and plot more than on character. Only three people in the book are given names (the narrator and the traveler not among them) and none are developed with any great psychological depth” ( Greenlee para 2).

The writer has used generalized characters and has left the specific details omitted. He has used his characters as generalized symbols representing different aspects of his own time. Works Cited Greenlee, Jessica. "Book Review: The Time Machine by H. G. Wells." The Geek Girl Project. N.p., 11 July 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .Wells, H G, and Paul Cook. The Time Machine. Rockville, Md: Phoenix Pick, 2008. Print.