Time machines, Morlocks, laughing children and plant buildings

Well, that was quite an enjoyable book. It was a quick read, yet it still managed to make me invest myself in the plights and triumphs of the Time Traveler. The first bit of the story that struck me as different was the use of adjectives for the listeners (ie the Medical Man, the Editor, etc). Although I am not certain of Wells' point in doing this, it struck me as a way to help buoy up the Traveler's story and keep the setup to a minimum. By playing on the reader's assumptions of each stereotype given, such as the Medical Man being skeptical and demanding evidence of the travels, the story is propelled forward without too much development of characters listening in. I make this point because it seems to be part of the key to why the story is still so interesting today. I for one know many medical professionals who would demand quite the same things of the story teller in a similar fashion. Perhaps something small to note, but it stuck with me after finishing reading.

The other part of this story that stuck with me was the political statements being made. I have heard arguments about capitalism versus socialism before, but never drawn out over a period of time as long as 800,000 or more years. Whats more, I don't usually expect such arguments to call one of the groups devolved hedonists (the surface-dwelling Eloi), and the other are nocturnal, cannibalistic carnivores (the subterranean Morlocks). Although I cannot speak for what will actually happen after all that time, perhaps I have some insight as to the accuracy of his predictions thus far. As far as I can tell, the rich class, and to some degree, upper middle class of the world have begun a slow decline towards this hedonistic state. 50 years after this novel was written, advertisements for consumer goods skyrocketed and people began accepting that they could possibly buy their way into happiness. Although this is not the place to argue it, I will simply say that people do in fact believe that mentality more now than they did before, with driving thoughts of "well if I get that i-Phone or that new car, I will be truly happy" leading them down the path of life. Now, speaking for myself, that sense of "happiness" at getting something new does last for a short period of time, but in most cases fizzles out fairly quickly, making me need something else to try and feel happy. I am certain everyone who reads this will have felt the same at some point. Extrapolate this out for many many many years, and you might just end up with the above-ground society described by the Traveler. A place where there is no more work to do, and so the people have devolved mentally and physically due to their pursuit of happiness to the exclusion of self-improvement and -upkeep. This is my opinion, but it seems plausible to me. I would love feedback on my thoughts.

Yours,

-Mike