Analysis Of Lynn Venable's 'Time Enough At Last'

There is one point in life where everyone depends on strength and confidence for success. However, some people do not always have the right mindset or conditions to pursue their goals and succeed in life. They also may have certain internal conditions that may hinder their pursuit of success. These internal conditions can range from various disorders whether it is a learning disability, a vision problem, a hearing problem, or any other kind of disorder. But sometimes, people can overcome these disorders and learn how to succeed by simply getting a pair of eyeglasses to help them see better. In her short story “Time Enough At Last”, Lynn Venable uses imagery to describe the main character, Henry Bemis’ nature and how society was going against

Henry always wanted to read but his cluttered life made it impossible. He never had any time of his own. All he could do was get to and from work. “Also, nature had conspired against Henry by handing him with a pair of hopelessly myopic eyes. Poor Henry literally couldn't see his hand in front of his face” (1). Venable uses this quote to describe and exaggerate the severity of Henry’s condition. His myopic eyes are one of the factors that are preventing him from succeeding at the start of the story. To further illustrate this, Venable also uses the quote “For a while, when he was very young, his parents had thought him an idiot. When they realized it was his eyes, they got glasses for him” (1). In this case, his hindering factor started when he was little. It prevented him from being successful in the world and continued up to his current moment in the story. He is then faced with more bad luck when he tries to read a magazine he bought earlier that morning. This is the moment where the entire world changes and starts to worsen his

This is seen when he goes to the now torn-down library only to find many books that were readable. “A lot of the books, Henry noted gleefully, were still intact, still whole, still readable. He was literally knee deep in them, he wallowed in books” (5). Here, Venable uses this quote to signify that Henry now has the chance to do what he always wanted to do. Which was to read tons of books. Some of the books he found were Collected Works of William Shakespeare and “laid it aside carefully” (5). He thought he must read that. “He picked up another. Spinoza. He tossed it away, seized another, and another, and still another” (5). Throughout the story, Henry was unable to read his favorite magazines and novels due to his cluttered life. But since he was by himself in the torn-down library, he finally had the chance to do it. He steadied away and began to enjoy