The Time Machine :: essays research papers

Chapters 1 and 2SummaryThe succession Traveller is in his home, speaking to a group of work force that includes the narrator.He is lecturing on the wholeness-quarter dimension. He tells them that a cube exists not only in space,but also in time. Time is the fourth dimension. Many of them atomic number 18 skeptical. The TimeTraveller claims that one should be able to impact about in the fourth dimension just asone can move about in the other three. After all, he notes, we are constantly baseforward in time, why not move faster or slower or even backward? He produces aminiature time machine, the size of a clock, made of ivory and crystal. The TimeTraveller explains that one lever sends the machine into the future and the other onesends it into the past. He asks one of the guests to push the forward lever, and themachine disappears in a footling gust. He claims that the machine is now gliding forwardinto the future. The guests ask why they cannot still see it, since they too are moving intothe future, and the Time Traveller explains that it is moving forward too quickly to beseen, like the spokes of a wheel or a speeding bullet. The guests are amazed. TheTraveller then shows them a often larger machine, with which he plans to explore time.The narrator concludes that not many of the guests believed the Time Traveller, as he wasa very intelligent man, likely to play luxuriant pranks. The narrator returns to dinner at hishouse the next week. The guests include some of the men from the previous week andsome new guests. They have been instructed to begin dinner without their host. When heenters, he is incredibly dusty and dishevelled. He quickly drinks some champagne, thengoes to wash up. The narrator suggests to the other guests that their host has beentravelling in time. The others are incredulous and make sarcastic remarks in reply. Whenthe Time Traveller is finally ready to tell his story, the guests quickly raise objections.The Time Traveller says that he has no energy to argue and will speak only if everyoneagrees not to interrupt. The guests agree, and sit in increasingly rapt attention as the storybegins.Chapters 3 and 4SummaryThe Time Traveller gets on his machine and pushes the forward lever just a little. He feelsa dizzying sensation, and when he looks at the clock in his lab he sees that five hourshave passed. He then presses the forward lever a bit more.