Examining Child Oppression in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine Through Structural Analysis

Muhammad Iqbal; Ruly Indra Darmawan

doi:10.56185/jelita.v6i2.992

Muhammad Iqbal Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia
Ruly Indra Darmawan Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56185/jelita.v6i2.992

Keywords: Binary Opposition, Child Oppression, Mytheme, Structuralism, The Time Machine

Abstract

This article applies Claude Levi-Strauss' structuralism to examine how child oppression is symbolically encoded in H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine (1895). Focusing on binary oppositions such as Eloi versus Morlocks and light versus darkness, the study identifies narrative patterns that construct Eloi as infantilized, passive beings and the Morlocks as dominant, adult-like predators. Through the analysis of syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationships among key narrative units (mythemes), the novel reveals a mythic structure of vulnerability and domination. By interpreting these structural patterns, this study offers a focused reading of Wells’ portrayal of power, dependency, and systemic exploitation within a speculative future society.

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