The average life expectancy for a human being is around 79 years. In Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Mr. Magorium is the 243-year-old owner of a magic toy store, preparing for his impending death. “The Backwards Fall” is a realistic fiction short story depicting an older married couple struggling as the wife gradually succumbs to Alzheimer’s. The science fiction short story “The Time Sweepers” tells of little blue workers that sweep up all the wasted time. These stories all communicate their main idea in a unique way, but they still have many similarities. One common theme among Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, “The Backwards Fall,” and “The Time Sweepers” is that time is valuable because it is limited. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a story that deals heavily with time in a way that seems foreign to its actual workings. No person lives to be 243 years old, but even with the magic of the story, the theme is clear. Very few people are able to live a life as fully as Mr. Magorium, but he would be an example of someone who valued the limited time he had. “I’ve lived all five of my acts… and I’m not asking you to be happy that I must go” (Helm, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium). This quote shows …show more content…
The story tells of happy times, as well as times when the couple did not treat each other kindly, and they were not as happy. “…He’d fallen into a pattern of ignoring her, of taking her for granted, without even realizing he was doing it” (Helmandollar, 4). This quote comes from a confrontation. The wife realizes that things have changed, and reminds George, her husband, that she can still leave him. After this point the couple is inspired to appreciate their time together, because if they choose not to, it could be taken from right under their noses. This warning against wasted time can also be seen in “The Time