Like an alumni on this forum, I too have a favorite character in classic literature that, despite his fictitious state, inspired me to do better in creative writing, the pursuit of knowledge, and life in general.
It’s the
Time Traveler from my all-time favorite Science Fiction novel:
The Time Machine.
The primary characteristic of this man is undoubtedly his brilliance. He is exquisitely intelligent and it shows throughout the story. Even when he is seemingly lost in his own world, he remains on his toes and logical. It’s a very realistic portrayal of a man that would be clever enough to design and construct such a device as a time machine, so I’d have to say there was little, if any, exaggeration involved. His character was revealed purely through dialogue since he was revealing his whole journey throughout the book. However, within this dialogue, there were descriptions of himself and accounts of his actions. I suppose it could be stated that it was a combination of all three, though I maintain that since the descriptions and such were spoken, dialogue was the primary tool used.
I absolutely loved the character that I came to understand! He was very compassionate towards the Eloi and had a very human amount of hatred for the Morlocks. I also liked the way he conveyed his prediction of doubt from his colleagues. All of this made him a very genuine guy. As far as I could tell, there was virtually nothing wrong with his disposition. The only way the Time Traveler changed throughout the story was in his knowledge of the future of mankind. This knowledge, I believe, made him more prepared and confident in his own time and place. However, he needed not be confident, for in the end, he didn’t stay in his own place for long.
In an era where great men of science were satisfied in their studies and their understanding of the mechanics and nuances world ("There is no difference between Time and any of the three dimensions of Space except that our consciousness moves along it."), the Time Traveler, in all his cumulative knowledge and understanding of these dimensions heightened above his colleagues, proved them wrong and demonstrated to them that time was a dimension that could be moved along physically, not just consciously or emotionally. He was unsatisfied with the lax attitude toward educating future generations what was already taught and acting as though yesterday’s methods would solve today’s problems. He literally took his ideals into the next dimension, and that in turn, fulfilled his desire both as a scientist, a philosopher, and a curious mind.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“Very simple was my explanation, and plausible enough - as most wrong theories are!”
“Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change.”
“Strength is the outcome of need.”
“Hardship and freedom: conditions under which the active, strong, and subtle survive and the weaker go to the wall.”
“Physical courage and the love of battle ... are no great help--may even be hindrances--to a civilized man.”
“This has ever been the fate of energy in security; it takes to art and to eroticism, and then come languor and decay.”
“It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble.”
“…even when mind and strength had gone, gratitude and a mutual tenderness still lived on in the heart of man.”
“Man's past – is mainly a grim struggle for survival. But there have been moments, when a few voices have spoken up...”
“What have you done? Thousands of years of building and rebuilding, creating and recreating so you could let it crumble to dust. A million years of sensitive men dying for their dreams, for what? So you can swim, and dance, and play... You, all of you, I'm going back to my own time; I won't even bother to tell of the useless struggle and their hopeless future, but at least I can die among men!”
