Enduring Understandings

Characters-

H.G. Wells writes incredible characters who, throughout Wells’ writings, display and represent ranges of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms. Throughout two of his books, “The War of the Worlds” and “The Time Machine,” Wells uses the main characters and everything around them to develop all of their ideas and assumptions, creating a deeper novel and a greater understanding of the characters for the readers. H.G. Wells is very good at using characters to explain crucial elements in society as well as morals when it comes to interesting or challenging situations. When reading his two works “The Time Machine” and “The War of the World,” a few things leap out. To begin, in “The Time Machine,” H.G. Wells expertly displays the vast difference between social classes in the book. He uses the Eloi, portrayed as relaxed and tender hearted, to symbolize honesty and solace. Meanwhile he contrasts them with a lower social class known for hard work and difficultness called the Morlocks. Having the stark differences in social classes displayed so expertly really creates an environment better portrayed for the reader and allows for deeper understanding. Furthermore, these adaptations and ideas allow for clear symbolism and highlight the perspectives of the characters in response to their positions in society. Wells also uses the characters' values to develop a greater plot and novel. In “The War of the Worlds,” the readers can fully see the main characters' values and morals during a martian invasion. In an invasion many people display who they truly are and what's important. The main character immediately thinks of his wife and family which displays his family values, trustworthiness and diligence. To continue, many things affect the character’s perspective including, the relationships, environment, and events throughout the novel. In the same book, Wells uses these factors to share not just the main character’s view, but others’ views when it comes to human instinct and survival. When meeting the artilleryman and the priest, the author does a great job of showing different perspectives based on the values, but also how this disastrous event impacted characters differently. This insight into many different characters highlights just how well H.G. Wells is creating a distinct environment in a novel with characters to invoke enduring understanding. "And this was my experience of the Fury of the Martians." (The War of the Worlds). Wells specifically states that it was from the man's own experiences further creating a sense of trustworthiness between the character and the reader. In conclusion, Wells masterfully exposes the readers to the intricacies of human instinct, society and its’ standards, culture and beliefs, and many other variables with his use of characters in his novels.

Setting-

H.G. Wells not only installs deeper understanding and value into his works with characters, but also with the setting he creates. Multiple variables of the setting are needed to create an effect that transfers the reader to a new world, and H.G. Wells does this very well in his books “The TIme Machine” and “The War of the Worlds.” Wells establishes the settings by depicting time and place, but with values and purpose throughout. H.G. Wells is known for his world crafting and visions as they add so much to the plot as well as suck the readers in the story. In “The TIme Machine,” Wells’ main character, a time traveler, journeys into the future where he encounters evolved humans. In this story Wells creates a futuristic and technological setting as well as creates a setting that describes the distinct oppositions between the peaceful Eloi and the brutish Morlocks. Wells masterfully crafts a scene of decaying buildings and vast wildlife to symbolize the travel through time as well as where humans have come too. This is brilliant in the context of the story as it allows readers to make guesses and conclusions on what may have happened and what consequences societal divisions have on society. The text states, “The air was full of the throb and hum of machinery pumping air down the shafts... I could see them dimly... and the men working in them.” Wells establishes an industrial and futuristic tone that finishes off a perfect scene and allows the reader to understand the text and plot better. To continue, the author also uses the setting in “The War of the Worlds” to enhance the story and plot. The invasion takes place in a small town where the main use of transportation available to the main character is a horse. Many people are old fashioned and the town is very old and rustic. This allows for the invasion to grow and very few people to spread what’s happening at the start. Wells also further splits to a different part of London that becomes a battleground in the tragic fight against the martians. The streets become bloodstained from the gruesome war as the lands and hills become engulfed in fighting. Wells expertly creates a mood and tone in the setting by using the surrounding characters. Wells talks of the panic and chaos that ensues, he captures the terror and helplessness of humanity in the face of overwhelming technological superiority. The text states, “The darkness grew apace; a cold wind began to blow in freshening gusts from the east, and the showering white flakes in the air increased in number.” This sets a very ominous tone for the reader as it reflects the fears and anxieties of the people of this time as well as concerns of the vulnerability of humans and the collapse of social standards and positioning once a new apex predator is introduced. Furthermore, Wells also uses setting in contrast between Mars and the London Suburbs to create further distinction and insight into both the people and Martians during the conflict. Overall, H.G. Wells throughout “The Time Machine” and “The War of the Worlds” establishes settings while employing time and place, but also while producing purpose and value for the reader's interpretation and understanding.

Plot/Structure-

The plot and the structure of the novel are very important when it comes to understanding and reading a book. H.G. Wells, in his books “The Time Machine” and “The War of the Worlds,” creates an arrangement of parts and sections of a text, a relationship of the parts that connect to each other, and a sequence in which the text reveals information, all coincide to develop a structure that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text. Wells uses specific elements in his plot and structure that invoke deeper understanding and thinking from the reader. In “The Time Machine” and “The War of the Worlds,” Wells uses chronological order to enhance his plot and establish a structurally sound environment for the story. . Wells writes, "I saw the sun hopping swiftly across the sky, leaping it every minute, and every minute marking a day." This is incredibly important as it doesn’t just establish a chronological theme for the plot but also highlights the Time Traveler's jump through time and his exploration. Wells also uses other parts of timing in his books to establish an intriguing plot. In “The War of the Worlds,” Wells jumps between two stories happening at different times to show the devastating effect of the fight against the Martians from different angles to progress the plot and excite the readers. Wells also writes, "All about me the red weed clambered among the ruins, writhing to get above me in the dimness." Wells creates suspense and terror in his works too to also keep the reader reading and the structure exciting. In “The Time Machine,” Wells writes "It seemed such a little thing, so bright and small and still, faintly marked with transverse stripes, and slightly flattened from the perfect round." Wells' insane attention to detail elevates the story from a time traveler's expectations, to his observations. Intricate plot and structure design allows for the reader to better understand the story and make more inquiries on what may happen. "I remember that night. It was the eve of the war." This flashback adds depth to the narrative but also creates a sense of intense suspense as the plot progresses. Flashbacks such as this, are prevalent in Wells’ works further creating a plot that is chronological but also bounces around to add depth and inspire and attract readers.

Speaker-

In the novels “The Time Machine” and “The War of the Worlds,” the author H.G.Wells creates a fantastic speaker whose perspective controls details events that affect how a reader experiences and interprets a text. Wells writes from a first person point of view in many of his works which allows for the speaker to really create a fantasy for the reader and show interesting perspectives. In “The War of the Worlds,” the main character relives the events while looking back in time and relates the whole story, giving the reader the perspective of an oblivious man to a man who has seen too much. In “The TIme Machine,” Wells uses two different men’s point of views to set up the story and then allow the time traveler to tell his amazing adventures. In both books the perspective of the character, especially when interacting with others, shapes how the readers interpret and study the text. In “War of the Worlds,” Wells writes, "It was the beginning of the rout of civilization, of the massacre of mankind." The text here allows us to see into the speaker’s perspective and opinions as well as observe how he sees the events. Wells also uses a third person view in this book to further explain events when the main character isn’t around. These events however affect how the speaker will react and see the world which then influences the reader who is reading from the speaker’s perspective. The author in “The Time Machine” writes "At last, however, my resolution was taken, and I had determined, as soon as I had eaten breakfast, to seek the Time Traveller and get him to come away with me out of this strange dim twilight of existence," and "They were simpler and more natural beings than we are, and they were much less bound down to individuality." These two lines were from the main characters, and it shows many things. To begin, the latter quote goes to show biases as well as views from the time travelers perspective that then affect the reader's understanding. The first quote gives insight into the man’s objectives but also provides more motivations that will become prevalent. H.G. Wells uses his characters and speakers in his books, especially through first person point of view, to affect the reader's perspective and control what the reader can see. These things affect the reader's interpretation and allow for a deeper and better understanding of the text.

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