![]() The Harlequin makes it his goal to insert a bit of chaos into people’s strictly regulated lives in any way he can, either the directly rebellious or the silly and subversive: by yelling at them through a bullhorn, encouraging them to ignore their schedules, or by showering jellybeans over walkways till they break down and delay people’s schedules. ![]() Marm, is a man who does not live his life by the schedule and who is perpetually late. ![]() As the manifestation of order, he clashes with and ultimately captures the Harlequin. ![]() He arranges schedules, ensures people conform to them, and carries out the consequences when they do not. The Ticktockman is the Master Timekeeper, and he believes that order is what makes the world go round, and that it is imperative and normal that people live by a strict schedule. Order and chaos have been personified in Ellison’s story by the Harlequin and the Ticktockman, and Ellison comments of the necessary balance between the two forces. “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison describes a dystopian future where time is strictly regulated and punctuality is not just expected, but mandatory – with strict consequences if people are not exactly on time. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |