Time Travelers Wife Themes

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Audrey Niffengger, the author of the novel The Time Travelers Wife has presented the key themes time travel and fate throughout the novel. These key themes have been presented through the structure of the novel and how the author has set out the novel, Henry’s set of rules based on time travel and fate making Clare finally meet Henry in the present.

The structure of the novel plays a role in presenting the key themes and ideas to the reader. The structure of the novel is sectioned into three main parts. The first part of the novel describes Clare’s life growing and getting to know Henry. “The Man Out of Time” (pg 5). The second part of the novel describes Henry and Clare’s life together and the journey they take. “A Drop of Blood In A Bowl …show more content…
As Henry can time travel to different years, he already knows that certain events have happened. As these events have already happened, Henry can nor alter or change these events. “Well think, you go to the future, you do something, you come back to the present. Then the thing that you did is part of your past” (pg 58). As a result of this Henry sets himself a rule not to influence the past and future as he time travels or talk about the past during the future. When Henry was younger he witnessed a little girl get hit in the head by a hockey puck and die. Henry continued to time travel back to this day but could not help the little girl or change that event. “I would scream, No take her home, don’t let her near the ice… … and I would realise that the words were only in my head and everything would go on as before” (pg 58). The theme time travel is also presented when Henry time travels to discover the winning lottery numbers for a ticket they buy in the present. During this moment Henry, makes Clare watch the lottery number being drawn on the TV. Henry shows Clare the ticket he bought with the winning numbers for eight million dollars. “How silly of me. I completely forgot that you’re supposed to buy the tickets without having the slightest idea what the numbers will be” (pg 279). By Henry having these rules and …show more content…
She has done this by structuring the novel in a specific way so the reader does not become confused as Henry time travels. Niffengger has presented the theme time travel through Henry’s rules with the fact that Henry cannot change the past and Henry not speaking of the past or future during the present and also finding out information which benefits him in the present. The other key theme fate, is presented through Clare being destined to meet Henry when she is older and older Henry knowing that himself and younger Henry are going to be caught doing explicit content
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