When the time traveler thought about the future, he made assumptions that suggested that society would act progressively in the future. He believed that society would be free from disease, that the human species would be far advanced compared to the humans of his time, and that humans in this society would not know fear due to their technological advances. These assumptions were soon proven false when the time traveler thought he "...had built the time machine in vain" (21). The Sphinx puts pressure on progressive time by suggesting that society does not continually progress but will eventually regress. When the time traveler notes that the Sphinx "was much weathered and this imparted an unpleasant suggestion of illness." this shows that this futuristic society was not free from disease (18). During his first encounter with the Eloi he wondered: "were these creatures stupid?" this shows that his hypotheses about the progress of human beings were false (21). His assumptions about how this futuristic society would not know fear are also proven wrong when night comes, and because of the Morlocks, the Eloi seem to "...regain knowledge of fear" (49). In this society, the idea that progress over time is linked to progress in society has been proven false. The best relationship that can be seen is the regressive relationship seen in the Sphinx puzzle where first man walks on 4 legs, then progresses to walking on two legs, and finally regresses to walking on three legs. Once a society progresses to the point where it reaches utopia, the progress is then stopped. This idea is present in the time traveler's thought process as he is going to...... middle of paper ......ds. It is a mistake to do things so easily” (11). This in turn will affect progression, because it is difficult to move forward when no one believes in other people's ideas or ways. In The Time Machine, the time traveler had many assumptions about the future. The more time he spent in this futuristic society, the more he realized that his assumptions were false. Humans managed to achieve a utopian society, but as a result further progress was blocked and humans instead began to regress. The Sphinx, being the first thing the time traveler notices in this futuristic society, becomes a symbol of how man first progresses but then ultimately regresses. Despite this pessimistic idea, Wells still holds the hopeful, fin de siècle idea of ​​new beginnings and believes that despite everything, humans should still seek to progress..