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Part IV, Chapter 4: Ruth
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Tale for the Time Being, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Time, Impermanence, and the Present
The Difficulty of Communication
Life vs. Death
Coincidences and Connections
Sexual Perversion and Violence
Summary
Analysis
Ruth writes a diary entry to Nao, saying that she wonders about Nao, just like Nao wonders about her. She thinks that Nao must be around 26 or 27 now. Ruth imagines her in Tokyo, or perhaps in a real French café in Paris. She is sure that Nao must be still writing, and she hopes that she will soon finish her book on Jiko’s life, so that Ruth can read it. She says that “not-knowing” has its charm since it “keeps all the possibilities open.” However, if Nao ever wants to be found, Ruth would like to meet her, since Nao is her “kind of time being.”
Earlier, Ruth was frustrated that she still had many unanswered questions, even after she was done reading the diary. However, in this note to Nao, she wisely acknowledges that the unsolved mystery also has its charms. This applies even to the novel’s reader, who can dream up any of the possibilities that might occur after the novel ends, since the author doesn’t close any possibilities with a concrete ending. Thus, the relationship between the writer and reader continues, even beyond the pages of the book.
Themes
