The Time Machine Man and the Natural World Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

Only ragged vestiges of glass remained in its windows, and great sheets of the green facing had fallen away from the corroded metallic framework. (8.1)

The Time Traveller implicitly describes here how natural forces like time, decomposition, and corrosion have affected manmade objects and structures. While some of those structures remain (like the glass cases in the museum), many have been damaged or destroyed by these natural forces. So nature not only affects people; it also affects our stuff.

Quote #8

The hissing and crackling behind me, the explosive thud as each fresh tree burst into flame, left little time for reflection. (9.11)

Here the fire the Time Traveller set has gotten out of control and is directly hindering one of his most important traits: his level-headedness. This quote also nicely reminds us that the Time Traveller can be funny in his use of understatement.

Quote #9

I grieved to think how brief the dream of the human intellect had been. It had committed suicide. It had set itself steadfastly towards comfort and ease, a balanced society with security and permanency as its watchword, it had attained its hopes – to come to this at last. (10.2)

In the Time Traveller's theory, human thought, which is itself a product of evolution, has created the conditions under which we no longer need human thought. Humanity was a victim of its own success.