The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

In addition to the obvious idea of time travel, which this novel is greatly credited with popularising, The Time Machine also explores themes such as benefit/harm of technology and human nature.

The book portrays the unnamed Time Traveler as a somewhat eccentric scientist. It is described that his friends doubt the possibility of time travel, or of such a device that permits it, even when a time machine was made to disappear before their eyes. Only the unnamed narrator (and perhaps on or two others) seems to believe in the achievements of the Time Traveler. This highlights the fact that most people are uncomfortable and often immediately reject ideas that are seemingly improbable at the time. It is because of this doubt in him that the Time Traveler is determined to prove them wrong by traveling forward in time and bringing back a specimen.

The Time Traveler does eventually return after traveling to A.D 802,701. From there he brings back an odd plant which all his friends agree do not exist in the time they live in. The Time Traveler decides to return with cameras and additional equipment to bring back more proofs but the story concludes with him presumably lost in time. This probably shows the danger of the unknown.

Perhaps the most important comment in this novella is conveyed through what the Time Traveler saw during his journey. In A.D. 802,701, he stumbled upon a seemingly peaceful society, almost utopic in nature. The species at that time are, however, less intelligent than now. The author, through the Time Traveler, directly comments on the possibility that, with everything made and done for us through technology, the beings have no need to do anything but play. This caused them to devolve into a more peaceful, happy and primitive species, the Elois. They represent the previously upperclass people who had everything and didn't have to do anything. But beneath that brightness lies an unspoken evil, the Morlocks, who are cannibalistic huminids. They represent the lower class worker society who did all the work. The have also devolved, but into a more brutal creature. Although both the species are primitive, the Morlocks seems slightly more advanced than the Elois despite them having devolved from a lower class. This indicates that as the human need to conquer all was satiated, the upperclass people was left with nothing to do. This means they eventually couldn't do much, thus are left clueless except for the utopic ideas imposed on them. Eventually, the devolved into the Elois. The Morlocks, on the other hand, devovled from the worker class, who, although there were advanced technology, they were still considered below those who lived high up, so they were confined to the darkness. This, in a way, caused them to become the dark, the unknown, the fear.

Oh man, I blabbed on for so long without saying anything. Basically, the book is about the dangers of trying to create a utopia or trying to conquer all. (period)
(full stop).

I'll try to write something more meaningful next time...