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The Harlequin
The Ticktockman is the highest authority in the world of the story, an imposing masked figure able to control the technology that regulates times and metes out life and death to citizens. If someone is tardy too many times, the Ticktockman has the power to turn off his “cardioplate,” essentially stopping his heart and killing him. While this technology infuses every level of society, the Ticktockman is the only one who understands and controls it. As with the Harlequin, the Ticktockman’s name is an alias. Subordinates whisper the nickname behind his back and call him Master Timekeeper to his face. That his real name is never revealed suggests that the man underneath the mask is irrelevant, and that the Ticktockman is larger than life and symbolic of this society’s frighteningly oppressive and authoritarian nature; even his own coworkers fear him. The Ticktockman is thus directly threatened by the Harlequin’s subversion and hunts him down in order to quash the challenge to the status quo that he represents. The Ticktockman does succeed in capturing and subduing the Harlequin, but by the conclusion of the story it’s implied that the Ticktockman’s world has been thrown slightly off-kilter, as the Ticktockman himself is shown to be several minutes late.
The Ticktockman Quotes in “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman
The “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman quotes below are all either spoken by The Ticktockman or refer to The Ticktockman. 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:
).
‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman
Quotes
“This is what he is, said the Ticktockman with genuine softness, “but not who he is. This time-card I'm holding in my left hand has a name on it, but it is the name of what he is, not who he is. The cardioplate here in my right hand is also named, but not whom named, merely what named. Before I can exercise proper revocation, I have to know who this what is.”
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“Why let them order you about? Why let them tell you to hurry and scurry like ants or maggots? Take your time! Saunter a while! Enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the breeze, let life carry you at your own pace! Don't be slaves of time, it's a helluva way to die, slowly, by degrees . . . down with the Ticktockman!”
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After all, his name was Everett C. Marm, and he wasn't much to begin with, except a man who had no sense of time.
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“I hate it. It's a terrible world.”
“Not everyone thinks so. Most people enjoy order.”
“I don't, and most of the people I know don't.”
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“Uh, excuse me, sir, I, uh, don't know how to uh, to uh, tell you this, but you were three minutes late. The schedule is a little, uh, bit off.”
He grinned sheepishly.
“That's ridiculous!” murmured the Ticktockman behind his mask. “Check your watch.” And then he went into his office, going mrmee, mrmee, mrmee, mrmee.
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Get the entire “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Ticktockman Quotes in “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman
The “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman quotes below are all either spoken by The Ticktockman or refer to The Ticktockman. 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:
).
‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman
Quotes
“This is what he is, said the Ticktockman with genuine softness, “but not who he is. This time-card I'm holding in my left hand has a name on it, but it is the name of what he is, not who he is. The cardioplate here in my right hand is also named, but not whom named, merely what named. Before I can exercise proper revocation, I have to know who this what is.”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Why let them order you about? Why let them tell you to hurry and scurry like ants or maggots? Take your time! Saunter a while! Enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the breeze, let life carry you at your own pace! Don't be slaves of time, it's a helluva way to die, slowly, by degrees . . . down with the Ticktockman!”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After all, his name was Everett C. Marm, and he wasn't much to begin with, except a man who had no sense of time.
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“I hate it. It's a terrible world.”
“Not everyone thinks so. Most people enjoy order.”
“I don't, and most of the people I know don't.”
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Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Uh, excuse me, sir, I, uh, don't know how to uh, to uh, tell you this, but you were three minutes late. The schedule is a little, uh, bit off.”
He grinned sheepishly.
“That's ridiculous!” murmured the Ticktockman behind his mask. “Check your watch.” And then he went into his office, going mrmee, mrmee, mrmee, mrmee.
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