Wicked

The Clock of the Time Dragon is primarily a symbol of indoctrination, hedonism, and the dangers of mob mentality. A traveling puppet show topped with a mechanical dragon, the Clock runs on both magic and technology. But rather than telling time, it reveals the pasts and futures of its spectators. Closely tied to the pleasure faith religion of Tiktokism, the Clock fuses raunchy spectacle with mechanical marvel, luring crowds and delivering messages that blur the line between prophecy, satire, and moral judgment. Its first appearance in Munchkinland’s Rush Margins reveals the Unionist Frex, intent on steering his flock away from temptation, as powerless against it, underscoring both the fragility of outdated religious authority in Oz and the Clock’s ability to control the masses.

Elphaba’s relationship with the machine begins when she is born inside of a crawl space within it, taking her first breaths in the heart of a device built to provoke and destabilize. Later, the Clock incites a mob to murder and sacrifice the innocent Turtle Heart, demonstrating how swiftly “entertainment” can become a call to violence; in its logic, the Clock teaches that violence itself is entertainment. In its final appearance in the novel, the Clock shows Elphaba a vision confirming the Wizard as her biological father. Operated by the mysterious dwarf—a figure as cryptic as the machine itself, simultaneously honest and manipulative—its prophecies are never wholly false or true, but always disruptive. Though the Clock’s ultimate purpose is not explicitly stated, the Wizard clearly allows it to continue operating for a reason. It seems likely that the Clock is yet another cog in his regime, one that keeps the Ozian masses too distracted to care about his increasing power and control.