The Psych of H.G. Wells H.G. Wells, was, in the simplest of terms, an individual with an incredibly complex psyche. He was bitterly upfront with his worldviews, and had an innate sense of the world around him that was different on a number of levels when compared to the ideals of others. His life consisted of a relatively specialized education, which brought about the knowledge from which he would later base many of his fantastic claims. As the world changed around him, so did Wells. He evolved to be one step ahead of the world, meaning that his starkness and brutality, among other traits, gifted him the perception of seeing the future. He predicted countless social and technological advancements, and in many ways was a man outside of
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He found it difficult to have this reality of evolution coexist with the high morality that was expected by religious individuals at the time. Evidence of this conflict stems from the teachings from Huxley, an agnostic, and Wells’ mother, a brutal protestant (Timko). When considering mankind and evolution, Huxley’s views were very close to Darwin’s (Dettmar). This secular mindset contrasted sharply with Wells’ previous teachings of a faith-based importance of man. This contrast appears not only in The Time Machine, but also in other works, notably “A Slip Under the Microscope.” Wells even refers to the contrast directly through the main character, William Hill, saying, “That is our goal, perhaps-- I admit it, as far as science goes . . . but there are things beyond science.” (Dettmar). This quote shows that Wells was conflicted between views of mankind and evolution, and here he even admits that there is more to understanding the world than science.
Wells’ views on man absolutely affected his attitudes towards love and relationships, as evidence of his multiple affairs. He loathed monogamy, and like his other ideals, wrote to explain it in his novels. He wrote very controversial novels on this topic, such as Ann Veronica. As Kenneth Young describes, “ ‘Ann Veronica and its author were denounced. “A community of scuffling stoats and ferrets” “literary filth,” “this poisonous book,” screamed the reviewers.’ ” (Young). Wells’ attitude regarding sex evolved over the course of time, specifically as a result of his extensive social
He found it difficult to have this reality of evolution coexist with the high morality that was expected by religious individuals at the time. Evidence of this conflict stems from the teachings from Huxley, an agnostic, and Wells’ mother, a brutal protestant (Timko). When considering mankind and evolution, Huxley’s views were very close to Darwin’s (Dettmar). This secular mindset contrasted sharply with Wells’ previous teachings of a faith-based importance of man. This contrast appears not only in The Time Machine, but also in other works, notably “A Slip Under the Microscope.” Wells even refers to the contrast directly through the main character, William Hill, saying, “That is our goal, perhaps-- I admit it, as far as science goes . . . but there are things beyond science.” (Dettmar). This quote shows that Wells was conflicted between views of mankind and evolution, and here he even admits that there is more to understanding the world than science.
Wells’ views on man absolutely affected his attitudes towards love and relationships, as evidence of his multiple affairs. He loathed monogamy, and like his other ideals, wrote to explain it in his novels. He wrote very controversial novels on this topic, such as Ann Veronica. As Kenneth Young describes, “ ‘Ann Veronica and its author were denounced. “A community of scuffling stoats and ferrets” “literary filth,” “this poisonous book,” screamed the reviewers.’ ” (Young). Wells’ attitude regarding sex evolved over the course of time, specifically as a result of his extensive social