The Dystopian and Utopian texts The Time Machine by HG Wells and Ursula Le Guins’s The Dispossessed subvert and conform to traditional perspectives on humanity and genre conventions as a reflection of their respective contexts. These genres share a common characteristic in that they aim to criticise their respective societies through an ambiguous utopia in The Dispossessed and a future that is initially perceived to be a utopia but is subsequently revealed as a dystopia in The Time Machine.
The author’s respective contexts allows for contrast of these critiques in relation to their challenging of traditional perspectives on humanity. HG Wells’ political commentary of late Victorian England critiques his society and its structure through the exaggeration of humanity’s faults in a dystopia rather than correcting those faults in a utopia. In the initial depiction of the future society as a utopia, the dystopia becomes ambitious similar to Le Guin’s The Dispossessed and as such demonstrates a subversion to the genre.
Wells suggests that current society change its ways lest it end up passive, lazy and unintelligent like the Eloi, terrified of an underground race of Morlocks. The Eloi are a fundamental point of satire of Wells’ society, as in the Eloi there are critiques of Victorian decadence. The Time Traveller is immediately unimpressed and disappointed by the beautiful Eloi, as he states “I never met people more indolent or more easily fatigued. ” He looks down upon them, comparing them to children as they are easily entertained as well as easily bored.
Although the aristocrats of his time are not as passive as the Eloi, he has exaggerated their features in an attempt to warn society that they were going to end up like the Eloi. The Time Traveller initially mistakes the future he time travelled to for a utopia, it was at first ambiguous, as the Eloi do not do any work and the society was perceived to be without the conflict of class where one class works and another profits. The class structure, however, has not been erased but instead exaggerated with the introduction of the Morlocks who like to eat the Eloi.
Whilst the future might look like an exaggeration of the 19th century, the novel is making a suggestion about where humans are heading when he states “We see some beginnings of this even in our own time, and in this future age it was complete” as Wells connects his past to the future he has arrived to. This is direct criticism of his 1890s society, however the criticism does not translate as well to modern day due to the less rigid social hierarchy.
Aside from the laziness of the Eloi, Wells also emphasises the threat of the Morlock, or the ‘working class’, as he states “Two species that had resulted from the evolution of man were sliding down towards, or had already arrived at, an altogether new relationship. ” At some point in history, Wells expects the working class to take advantage of the increasing laziness of the Eloi and thus there are still defined classes as there was in the 1890’s, but now they take on a different role.
Wells provides a critique of Victorian England through the exploration of the idea that a dystopia would occur if society continued as it had been, in contrast to Utopia which would construct an ideal scenario by erasing what were considered faults. The Dispossessed creates a feminist perspective on a Utopia which challenges the misogyny of the 1970s and is influenced by the militant stage of feminism in the era of which the book was written, as well as Le Guin’s idea of mutual co-operation amongst humanity.
The equality between sexes on Anarres is contrasted by Urras, particularly in the depiction of Vea on Urras; a stereotypical example of feminine norms that are still present today. Le Guin’s novel subsequently remains relevant to contemporary society, as in its critique of Urras, it critiques both 1970s society as well as modern society. On Anarres equality between the sexes seems absurd to Kimoe as he states “Is it true that women in your society are treated exactly like men? Similar to the Eloi of The Time Machine, decadence reminiscent of Victorian England is exaggerated to absurdity, which is evident when Shevek first arrives on Urras and notes the “splendour” and hairlessness of the upper class attire. This splendour ridicules the social hierarchy, particularly the typical upper class excessive expenditure, by creating an extravagant and materialistic image of the upper class; similar to the exaggerated ignorance and passivity of the Eloi.
Thus the texts correlate in their depiction of social structure constantly persevering, as Le Guin notes that each generation needs to generate their own “revolution” in order to remain free of the constantly emerging power structures, “You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. ” The class structure evolves rather than erases, as noted in The Time Machine where the Eloi and the Morlocks are reminiscent of the working class and upper class but instead the Morlocks feed on the Eloi, much like Urras uses Annares for its resources.
Le Guin not only explores a critique of humanity from a feminist and from a social class perspective, but also challenges traditional perspectives on humanity through the basis of the co-operation on Anarres. Le Guin suggests that through the removal of humanity‘s greatest flaws such as greed -which is removed with the abolition of private property- allows humanity to function in its purest form and as such humanity will naturally progress and co-operate effectively, as humanity is inheritably good and does not require a higher power to be inspired.
These ideals expressed by humanity are emphasised through the character Shevek, as Le Guin highlights the importance of freedom of thought. Passivity is once again depicted as Anarres discourages “ego-izing” and initially places Shevek in a physical labour job where he did not think that his intellectual potential was being utilised, “.. The instant he got to the sleeping tent after supper his head flopped down and he slept like a stone still dawn, and never a thought crossed his mind. ” This discouragement of free thought lends to the “ambiguous” nature of the utopia, as it encourages passivity and denies the ability to excel.
Conclusively, the texts Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin and The Time Machine by Hg Wells provide different explorations of ideas through their contrasting contexts, differing ideals and changing methods of criticising society such as the depiction of an ideal society in utopia and the exaggeration of the flaws of society in dystopia. Thus these texts comparatively are seeking change in their respective societies, but in contrast these texts experiment with differing ideas to realise these changes.
