The Time Machine is a foundational work of science fiction and helped establish the genre. Its use of a machine as a means of time travel and its exploration of the potential consequences of technological advances are hallmarks of science fiction. The novel explores both the promise and pitfalls of technological progress, and uses scientific exploration as the backdrop against which to critique social inequities.
The novel also incorporates elements of social science fiction, a sub-genre of science fiction that examines social and political structures, often with an emphasis on how technology affects society and vice versa. In examining the potential for social inequalities to become instantiated in human genetics over time, Wells's novel serves to expose and warn against the social stratification that divided "Capitalists" from "Laborers" in the 1800s.
The Time Machine also incorporates elements of dystopia into its science fiction, describing a futuristic society in which conditions of life have been morphed and denatured by scientific progress. At first, the Time Traveller experiences the future as a type of utopia in which humanity has fully subdued nature and all basic needs are met. The Eloi do not suffer disease or hunger and have no threat from their immediate environment. However, over time, he discovers the dire truth about the Eloi’s existence—that they are no longer able to innovate or adapt, and are therefore vulnerable to the predation of the Morlocks, the subterranean descendants of the oppressed working class.
By weaving together strands from science fiction and social commentary, Wells crafts a novel that shines a spotlight on the potential of the scientific project to go awry. The novel is both an exploration of a future crafted by technology and an insightful critique of the social stratification present in the 1800s society in which Wells was writing.
