In A Tale for the Time Being, watches and clocks symbolize the fleeting nature of time. Inside the lunch box that washes up on Ruth’s beach, Ruth finds an old wind-up watch alongside Nao’s diary. Even before Ruth knows that this was Nao’s great-uncle Haruki #1’s watch, she wears the watch and is constantly reminded of the passage of time by the watch’s loud ticking. This is especially significant because Ruth is stuck in her past: she is trying to work on a memoir she finds unpleasant, and she is unable to focus on her present. The watch serves as a constant reminder that her present is passing her by.
Later in the novel, when the narrative switches to Haruki #1’s secret diary, he writes that he is agitated about his impending death and that “the ticking of the clock is the only sound he can hear.” He wishes he could “smash the clock and stop time from advancing,” but of course, there is no way to stop time. Since Haruki #1 has very little time left to live and is so aware of every moment that passes him by, his watch becomes an especially potent symbol of time passing. One of the novel’s themes is the importance of using the present moment wisely and well, and watches and clocks remind characters that their present is quickly passing them by.
Watches/Clocks Quotes in A Tale for the Time Being
I have written to you of my decision to die. Here is what I did not tell you. […] [T]he ticking of the clock is the only sound I am able to hear now. Second by second, minute by minute…tick, tick, tick…the small, dry sounds fill every crevice of silence. […] [M]y being is attuned only to one thing, the relentless rhythm of time, marching toward my death.
If I could only smash the clock and stop time from advancing! […] I can almost feel the sturdy metal body crumpling beneath my hands, the glass fracturing, the case cracking open, my fingers digging into the guts, spilling springs and delicate gearing. But no, there is no […] way of stopping time, and so I lie here, paralyzed, listening to the last moments of my life tick by.
I don’t want to die, Maman! I don’t want to die!
Making the decision to end my life really helped me lighten up, and suddenly
all the stuff my old Jiko had told me about the time being really kicked into
focus. There’s nothing like realizing that you don’t have much time left to
stimulate your appreciation for the moments of your life. I mean it sounds
corny, but I started to really experience stuff for the first time, like the beauty
of the plum and cherry blossoms […]. I spent whole days […] wandering up and down these long, soft tunnels of pink clouds and gazing overhead at the fluffy blossoms […]. Everything was perfect. When a breeze blew, petals rained down on my upturned face, and I stopped and gasped, stunned by the beauty and sadness.
Watches/Clocks Symbol Timeline in A Tale for the Time Being
