The Time Machine bears a resemblance to the Odyssey in its thematic content, narrative structure, and protagonist. On the most basic level, both tell the story of a νόστος, or return home. Both include typical thematic elements of epic: a journey to the “underworld,” interaction with human-like creatures classified as the “other,” feats of superhuman abilities, a vast setting across time and space, and otherworldly forces. The two stories feature protagonists with similar qualities of inscrutability, resourcefulness, and cleverness.
The ideas of the Odyssey are embedded in Western literary tradition, with the effect that, “The poem is not its language. It exists, just here and now, in this language, this niceness of linguistic embodiment, inspection of which will tell us all we shall ever know about it” (Kenner 149). By examining The Time Machine through the lens of the Odyssey, it is possible to see language as a form of human agency. Reimagining the Odyssey, The Time Machine draws on the universal themes of the epic, the archetypal character traits of the hero Odysseus, and Homer’s exploration of the universal human experience to comment on contemporary society and possibly effect change.
Did you find the time traveler heroic? Did anyone else notice epic themes in The Time Machine? Why do you think neither Odysseus nor the time traveler can successfully reassimilate into their societies after their travels?
Works Cited:
Kenner, Hugh. The Pound Era. Berkeley: University of California, 1971. Print.
I think that the comparison of 'The Time Machine' to 'The Odyssey' is fantastic. As far as the question of why can neither Odysseus nor the time traveler successfully reassimilate into their societies, I feel as though it is an issue of doubt and too much knowledge. Unless someone goes on these adventures and travels to these places, it is not necessarily within their mental grasp to understand it as reality. As readers we have the privilege to suspend our disbelief, however in the reality of the text, characters don't have that privilege. On the same note the traveler or person who witnesses the unbelievable is now the person that knows too much. To make biblical reference, it is as though the time traveler ate the apple, gained knowledge of the future and then had to leave his Eden.
ReplyDeleteI think your point about the return home is interesting when viewed in the context of evolution. We talked in class about how Darwin never meant to convey that evolution has a goal, yet many people have taken it that way. Before the time traveller returns to the 19th century, he speeds far into the future, close to the end of the Earth, where the ocean has reenveloped much of the land and gigantic creatures roam. The setting of this scene reminded me of depictions of the early Earth, when insects were enormous, the oceans were much larger, and life came from the water. When we compare this scenery to the development of the Eloi over time, I wonder if this is yet another return home. Do the Eloi and the Morlocks return to the water, life's original home?
ReplyDeleteIn terms of why the time traveler cannot successfully reassimilate into his society, I believe, like Odysseus, he has seen to much. As a man of science the time traveller works for progress and change in order to better the human race, yet he learns that this progress will eventually lead to the destruction of that race. Can he live in a world where his whole life's work is causing the end of humanity?
I think that each of these comments/posts bring up really interesting points. The Odyssey is one of my favorite books, so it instantly came to mind when I was reading The Time Machine, too. The Time Traveler’s epic journey is a strange one, though. While he explains to the listeners/readers that he has traveled into the future, there’s no way to be sure of the time period he has landed in. What makes the new landscape seem futuristic is the unfamiliar life-forms, languages, and customs. Additionally, throughout the Time Traveler’s adventures, it becomes apparent that these alien life forms not only have similar weaknesses to humans, but at times seem even more ancient than humans. The Morlocks are blinded in the light and are afraid of heat, Weena is so small that she cannot defend herself; all science seems to be lost. Audrey mentioned, the Time Traveler cannot go back to his “present” unscathed by his journey. Despite all of the startling things that the Time Traveler endures by traveling in his machine and living in a foreign land, perhaps the most confusing part is determining which time is really more advanced and in the future. Does evolution have a point where it turns into devolution or a cycle?
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