The Time Machine

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is about a man called “The Time Traveler” that travels from the 19^th century to the year 802,701 A.D. The future that he sees is not what he expects, for when he gets there, he meets the Eloi and the Morlocks who are two sub-divisions of the human race. The Eloi are very strange and indolent creatures. They have curly blonde hair, fair skin, and little suction cup type instrument on their hands. Whereas the Morlock are very smart, hardworking creatures. They have large eyes, gray fur that covers their bodies, and are almost ape-like. The Eloi live on the land above ground. It would be very beautiful, if they took care of it, but they are too lazy. On the other hand the Morlocks live underground and because they are smart, and care about where they live, they take care of their home. It may not be the most beautiful place in the world, but it’s their home. I think that is why Wells describes the two homes as “a neglected Garden of Eden and a well-run Hell below”. The Eloi neglect their home. They are just too lazy to do any work. All they do every day is sleep, bathe, eat fruit, and play. The Morlocks do not neglect their home at all. Underground is not the best place to live, but the Morlocks like the dark, so they make it work. So when Wells says a neglected Garden of Eden, he means that the Eloi are very lucky to be living where they are. And by not taking care of it like they are supposed to, they are neglecting it. When he says a well-run Hell below, he means that they work hard to keep everything nice. They actually built equipment to help them live. The Morlocks do so much work that the Eloi would never even dream of doing. That is why it makes sense to say it is a neglected Garden of Eden and a well-run Hell below.