I read this book called ‘The Time Machine’ – and follows this guy called ‘The Time Traveler’ into his first look to the future. In the book, he meets a race of people; he’s named the ‘Eloi’. He describes this race as beautiful, yet child-like in intelligence, frail, and weak. Our guy stays with these people for the majority of the book, while frantically searching for his time machine that was stolen by the second race of human decedents – called the Morlocks. This race looks less than human, but are more intelligent than the Eloi, using them as a source of food while also keeping the race alive. The Time Traveler fears this race, and even attacks them with matches, and carrying around a mace. Eventually the Time Traveler escapes back into his own time, only to return to either the past or future and to never be seen again.
So, in the beginning of the novel the protagonist goes, “He struck me as being a very beautiful and graceful creature, but indescribably frail. His flushed face reminded me of the more beautiful kind of consumptive – the hectic beauty of which we used to hear so much.” (Page: 26) while describing the Eloi, the race he gets all buddy pally with. He even saves the life of and befriends one of them - claiming, “I did not clearly know what I had inflicted upon her when I left her. Not until it was too late did I clearly understand what she was to me. For, by merely seeming fond of me, and showing in her weak futile way that she cared for me, the little doll of a creature presently gave my return to the neighborhood of the white sphinx almost the feeling of coming home; and I would watch for her tiny figure of white and gold so soon as I came over the hill.” (Page: 51-52). But he is COMPLETELY mortified by the Morlocks, describing them as inhuman, “You can scarce imagine how nauseatingly inhuman they looked – those pale, chinless faces and great, lidless, pinkish-grey eyes! – as they stared in their blindness and bewilderment.” (Page: 67). My issue here is that even though both races are decedents of humans; he prefers the Eloi because they LOOK more human, even though the Morlocks have evolved to be more intelligent and survive much better than the Eloi. So, when exactly does something stop being human? Both races care for their own, the Morlocks may prey off the Eloi, but they do not prey off each other. So do they deserve to be treated as less than the Eloi, who are less intelligent and more frail than the Morlocks? It’s kinda messed up when you think about it.
So now all I can think about is our pets at home, or horses, etc. When do their lives stop mattering, where do we become more important than them. When does a Monkey stop being an unintelligent animal, and become a sentient being? How come we tend to treat animals better than our fellow humans, but when put into the position of the Time Traveler we shy away and treat them as lesser then us?
I choose this topic because it was something that stood out to me while I was reading it. The entire time he described them I didn’t think they were going to be an antagonist until the novel forced them to be in a way. My connection is to my own pets at home, how I treat them almost like family. Though they don’t look like us, and they’re not as smart as us, does that make their lives worth less than ours? They’re dependent on us fully, is that what makes us more attached to them? A sort of parent aspect that makes us want to protect them?
I’m writing this letter to everyone who owns a pet, who feels the same way as I do - conflicted. And to Scientists who test on animals like dogs, or even monkeys. Every day we protest cruel treatment, and continue to treat them cruelly. While, at the same time we pamper them and treat them better than we treat each other. Statistics show that 76% of people consider their pets to be a part of the family, and if this is true than how come so many animals are abused and used as lab rats?
The purpose of this letter is to ask the question, ‘When is something considered human, and when is it considered an animal?’ Where is the line drawn? How come it’s horrifically inhumane to test on humans, but not on animals. Where’s the line that says, ‘You don’t look human enough, and you’re not intelligent enough – so you’re okay to test on.’ To me it’s a very interesting question considering how many people love animals, and hate humans, yet would kill an animal to save a human’s life. What makes us more superior than them? I want to figure how why people make such a steep separation between us and animals.
Just like how there’s a gap between the Eloi and the Morlocks in the eyes of the Time keeper. Even though they’re decedents of humans. When did the Morlocks STOP being considered a human being, is it only because of their appearance? Couldn’t the Eloi also be considered inhuman due to their insane lack of intelligence. Throughout the entire book the Time Traveler is biased and sides with the Eloi, eating their food, befriending them, learning their language – instead of even trying to learn more about the Morlocks. He takes one look at them and is instantly afraid, running away and even attacking and killing some of them to protect his preferred race. In a way we think the same way, we protect and prefer animals instead of each other because why? Their innocence or lack of knowledge is endearing to us? Yet at the same time we aren’t afraid to injure or hurt them for our own gain, much like how the Time Traveler attacked and even scared off some of the Eloi in a rampage to find his time machine and help himself – no thought to the effect he had on them.
Sincerely, Just Another Human Being
