Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Tale for the Time Being, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Time, Impermanence, and the Present
The Difficulty of Communication
Life vs. Death
Coincidences and Connections
Sexual Perversion and Violence
Summary
Analysis
Part II opens with a quote from Marcel Proust’s novel Le temps retrouvé, which translates to Time Regained in English. Proust writes that a writer’s words are like an “optical instrument” through which a reader discerns his true self.
This quote suggests that a writer’s role is to pass on meaning and insight to their reader, which can help them discover their true self. A writer can enrich his or her reader’s life in the same way that Nao’s diary changes Ruth’s perceptions.
Themes
