Husband Harlequin Said The Ticktockman Summary

Harlan Ellison uses many literary devices in the science fiction short story “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” (1934) to exhibit how the government has too much control over the society and must be overthrown. The story takes place around the year “2389” (Ellison) in a society run by a totalitarian government that relies solely on order and being on time. The protagonist and lone rebeller, Harlequin, pulls many shenanigans in an attempt to set back the society and disrupt the order. The Ticktockman, the antagonist dictator, uses his excess power to take down the Harlequin and destroy his identity. The outcome of the story, along with the main devices Ellison uses, including allusion, diction, characterization, organization, and

Early in the story, Ellison establishes that the government in this society is irrational and has too much power. He does this through characterizing the Ticktockman, the dictator and the antagonist of the story, saying, “You don’t call a man a hated name, not when that man, behind his mask, is capable of revoking the minutes, the hours, the days and nights, the years of your life. He was called the Master Timekeeper to his mask. It was safer that way” (2). This description gives us an idea about how much power the Ticktockman really has. He is capable of maneuvering time which no one should have the power to do, proving that he must be overthrown. We also learn that he wears a mask and is hated yet feared greatly by the people. The Ticktockman is again characterized when Ellison says, “‘Don’t come back till you have him!’ the Ticktockman said, very quietly, very sincerely, extremely dangerously” (8). This shows how the Ticktockman wants the Harlequin dead for a simple prank. It also gives the Ticktockman a creepy and dangerous vibe, which should never be the main qualities in a leader. A leader should intelligent and outspoken. This shows that the Ticktockman is not qualified to be the leader of this society. Ellison also shows that rebellion is needed in this society through the

He does this with the use of non-traditional sentences. Ellison uses non-traditional word order when describing the non-traditional character, the Harlequin, saying, “But down below, ah, down below, there the people always their saints and sinners, their bread and circuses, their heroes and villains, he was considered a Bolivar; a Napoleon; a Robin Hood; a Dick Bong (Ace of Aces); a Jesus; a Jomo Kenyatta” (2). This sentence is full of random interruptions, making it an example of non-traditional word order. Ellison uses this form of syntax to highlight the Harlequin’s unique, non-traditional nature and to show how he is different from the rest of society as he rebels against the government for the good of the people. Another form of syntax Ellison uses to further the theme is anaphora. He uses this to show the amount of power in the hands of the Ticktockman. To capture the Harlequin, “They used dogs. They used probes. They used cardioplate crossoffs. They used feepers. They used bribery … They used applied physics. They used techniques of criminology” (8). The use of anaphora in this sentence helps stress the copious resources that the Ticktockman has at his fingertips. This supports the theme by communicating that the government has way too much power and must be overthrown. These uses of syntax help characterize the