TickTockMan

Harlan Ellison used characterization to portray the lives of the three different kind of people in this society; those who serve society with bodies, their conscience, and their intellect, in hope to help the reader better understand the idea of revolution and serving society. In 2389, when the story takes place, man has become so obsessed with punctuality, that if one does not posses this quality, he can be punished by death. ” (401) This shows the reader the extreme control of the Ticktockman. An example is when the workers were climbing to their construction platforms “releasing their a-grav plates, rising toward the Harlequin. From “slidewalks” to “coffee-bulbs” to “fax boxes,” Ellison shows the manner in which society was managed. In order to keep track of the populace and control the amount of life one was allowed, each person had their set own of a “time-card and cardioplate. Ellison wanted to make it clear that with out reform society and life will remain stale and stagnant. In addition, many futuristic terms were used to

illustrate how society functioned.

“’Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” illustrates a futuristic society governed by time. The reader sees that many in society have transformed into followers of the status quo. He had the power to end the lives of people as he pleased. These contrary colors allowed the citizens to shop once day per week, which in turn created more order. This man followed what he felt was moral, not what the Ticktockman dictated. The men who served “with their bodies” were the populace, represented by pretty Alice, who “want[ed] to belong, want[ed] to conform. Ellison relates his characters to those of Thoreau’s excerpt.