Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Time Traveler’s Wife, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Here and Now
Love and Absence
Free Will vs. Determinism
Language and Art
Self-Love
Summary
Analysis
Sunday, June 16, 1968. The first time that Henry time traveled was “magical” because he had no idea what the ramifications of his condition would be. That year, Henry went to the Field Museum of Natural History on his fifth birthday. Henry had been infatuated with the natural world ever since Henry’s mother brought him a mounted blue butterfly from one of her trips earlier that year. The butterfly gave him “a feeling of unity, oblivion, mindlessness” that he would only find again after meeting Clare.
This passage depicts Henry as a child before the loss of his innocence, which was spurred at a young age by his time-traveling condition and his mother’s death. Henry’s life before this was full of curiosity, support, and delight. In comparing his enrapture at the butterfly to his relationship with Clare, Henry characterizes himself as someone who is moved uneasily, but powerfully.
Themes
The museum lived up to Henry’s expectations. He saw insects and mammals and fossils from diverse time periods and regions. His parents allowed him to delight in the treasures of the museum until he was almost too tired to move. At home later that evening, he and his parents ate dinner downstairs with Mr. Kim and Mrs. Kim (Kimy), the Korean couple who owned the DeTambles’ apartment building (Kimy also served as Henry’s main babysitter throughout childhood). They ate the pizza and the chocolate cake Kimy made, then they watched the sun go down on the back porch until it was time for Henry to go to bed.
Henry’s memories of his fifth birthday continue to color his childhood, at least before his mother died, as a safe and happy time in his life filled with a community of loved ones. This passage introduces Kimy, cementing her as a pillar of Henry’s childhood and family.
Themes
Henry struggled to fall asleep after the excitement of his day, so Henry’s parents played music for him. When Henry’s mother came to check on him later and found him still awake, he asked if they could go back to the museum the next day. She said no but promised they would go again soon. After she left, Henry sat by the window watching the city until he felt sleepy enough to return to bed. When finally, he stood up, the world shifted.
Again, this section continues to showcase the innocent happiness that characterized Henry’s early life. The amount of support and love Henry experienced in his early years is important in understanding how he responds to future events in the novel.
Themes
Saturday, January 2, 1988, 4:03 a.m./Sunday, June 16, 1968, 10:46 p.m. (Henry is 24, and 5). Twenty-four-year-old Henry walks home from the bar late one January morning after drinking and dancing in the city. As he returns home, he is overcome with nausea. When he recovers, he finds himself in a dark hallway. From the figures of animals, artifacts, and “EXIT” signs around him, he determines that he is in the Field Museum. He vaguely remembers that this is where he went during his first time-traveling journey on his fifth birthday, and an older version of himself had been there to greet him. He steals clothing and other necessary items from the gift shop and museum staff offices and then prepares to meet his younger self.
Twenty-four-year-old Henry views his actions in this time traveling episode as predetermined because he’s already witnessed them from his own five-year-old perspective. Though the actions themselves may be set in stone, Henry’s motivation to comfort and care for his younger self, taking special effort to consider his emotions and interests, is something he chooses to do. Henry can’t control most aspects of his life, so it’s important for him to exercise personal agency whenever possible. This scene also reveals how Henry has learned to think on his feet and identify his surroundings as quickly as possible in order to survive his travels.
Themes
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Adult Henry eats Oreos, slowly sobering, as he waits for young Henry. When young Henry arrives, adult Henry introduces himself as young Henry’s guide and offers him a set of clothing and cookies. His younger self, having never time traveled before, is disoriented. They go up to the third floor to explore the museum’s collection. There, adult Henry explains to his companion that he must keep his time traveling a secret from everyone but Henry’s mother and Kimy. They continue on, looking at meteorites, bird specimens, and reference books in the library. Young Henry notices his older self using different items to break into locked rooms and cabinets, and older Henry promises to teach him how later. When young Henry gets tired, they wander some more and talk about the five year old’s life. Then young Henry suddenly vanishes, leaving older Henry alone again.
Though he is the older of the two Henrys, twenty-four-year-old Henry drunkenly devouring Oreos demonstrates his lingering immaturity. Still, he is well equipped to instill the necessity of secrecy and resilience in young Henry. In spite of the gravity of this education about time travel, Adult Henry tries to make the return to his favorite childhood place filled with wonder and unexpected delight for his young self—an additional example of supporting and loving himself. Once young Henry leaves, adult Henry is reminded of how lonely his travels through time can be, a loneliness he knows his younger self will have to live with too.
Themes
