Watches/Clocks Symbol in A Tale for the Time Being

In A Tale for the Time Being, watches and clocks symbolize the fleeting nature of time. Inside the lunch box that washes up on Ruth’s beach, Ruth finds an old wind-up watch alongside Nao’s diary. Even before Ruth knows that this was Nao’s great-uncle Haruki #1’s watch, she wears the watch and is constantly reminded of the passage of time by the watch’s loud ticking. This is especially significant because Ruth is stuck in her past: she is trying to work on a memoir she finds unpleasant, and she is unable to focus on her present. The watch serves as a constant reminder that her present is passing her by.

Later in the novel, when the narrative switches to Haruki #1’s secret diary, he writes that he is agitated about his impending death and that “the ticking of the clock is the only sound he can hear.” He wishes he could “smash the clock and stop time from advancing,” but of course, there is no way to stop time. Since Haruki #1 has very little time left to live and is so aware of every moment that passes him by, his watch becomes an especially potent symbol of time passing. One of the novel’s themes is the importance of using the present moment wisely and well, and watches and clocks remind characters that their present is quickly passing them by.

Watches/Clocks Quotes in A Tale for the Time Being

The A Tale for the Time Being quotes below all refer to the symbol of Watches/Clocks. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Time, Impermanence, and the Present Theme Icon

I have written to you of my decision to die. Here is what I did not tell you. […] [T]he ticking of the clock is the only sound I am able to hear now. Second by second, minute by minute…tick, tick, tick…the small, dry sounds fill every crevice of silence. […] [M]y being is attuned only to one thing, the relentless rhythm of time, marching toward my death.

If I could only smash the clock and stop time from advancing! […] I can almost feel the sturdy metal body crumpling beneath my hands, the glass fracturing, the case cracking open, my fingers digging into the guts, spilling springs and delicate gearing. But no, there is no […] way of stopping time, and so I lie here, paralyzed, listening to the last moments of my life tick by.

I don’t want to die, Maman! I don’t want to die!

Related Characters: Haruki #1 Yasutani (speaker), Naoko “Nao” Yasutani, Jiko Yasutani

Related Symbols: Watches/Clocks

Page Number and Citation: 322

Explanation and Analysis:

Making the decision to end my life really helped me lighten up, and suddenly
all the stuff my old Jiko had told me about the time being really kicked into
focus. There’s nothing like realizing that you don’t have much time left to
stimulate your appreciation for the moments of your life. I mean it sounds
corny, but I started to really experience stuff for the first time, like the beauty
of the plum and cherry blossoms […]. I spent whole days […] wandering up and down these long, soft tunnels of pink clouds and gazing overhead at the fluffy blossoms […]. Everything was perfect. When a breeze blew, petals rained down on my upturned face, and I stopped and gasped, stunned by the beauty and sadness.

Related Characters: Naoko “Nao” Yasutani (speaker), Haruki #1 Yasutani (speaker)

Related Symbols: Watches/Clocks

Page Number and Citation: 332

Explanation and Analysis:

Watches/Clocks Symbol Timeline in A Tale for the Time Being

The timeline below shows where the symbol Watches/Clocks appears in A Tale for the Time Being. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...letters written in Japanese, a bound book with a faded red cover, and an antique watch with a Japanese engraving etched into the back. Ruth cannot read a single word of... (full context)

...it escaped and made its way to their shore. He’s been fiddling with the old watch as he speaks, and he suddenly exclaims that he wound it up and that it’s... (full context)

The Difficulty of Communication Theme Icon

(5) Ruth lies awake in bed that night, listening to the watch ticking and thinking of how Nao’s writing flows without inhibition. Ruth hasn’t written with such... (full context)

...following morning, Ruth approaches her memoir with a sense of determination. She’s wearing the antique watch and she decides to time herself by it, resolving to do 30 minutes of uninterrupted... (full context)

...was excited, because Haruki #1 was her “new hero.” Jiko also gave her Haruki #1’sold watch, and she made Nao promise to wind it every day and never let it stop. (full context)

Secret French Diary 8. Haruki #1 was obsessed with the ticking of the clock, since each moment hastened him toward his death. He wished that he could stop time.... (full context)

...also pointed out that destroying his diary wouldn’t cure his fear, just like breaking the clocks wouldn’t stop time. He vowed to sit zazen and “study the self” as Dogen advised,... (full context)

...is really alive, in this world. She wonders how the diary, the letters, and the watch ended up in a lunch box in the ocean. Ruth thinks that she expected to... (full context)

A Tale for the Time Being

Ruth Ozeki

Watches/Clocks Symbol Analysis

Watches/Clocks Quotes in A Tale for the Time Being

Watches/Clocks Symbol Timeline in A Tale for the Time Being