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Chapter 34
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Time Traveler’s Wife, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Here and Now
Love and Absence
Free Will vs. Determinism
Language and Art
Self-Love
Summary
Analysis
Monday, January 7, 2006 (Clare is 34, Henry is 42).Clare and Henry are awoken by a phone call at 4:32 a.m. After listening for a long time, Henry tells the other person he is on his way. As he dresses, he explains to Clare it was a future version of himself calling from a parking garage where he is stuck in the sub-zero weather. Clare gets ready and wakes Alba, and all three get in the car. Clare feels a sense of déjà vu as she drives through the quiet, snowy streets. When they arrive, they can find no trace of future Henry. Forced to return home empty handed, Clare is glad nothing terrible happened in the present, but she remains terrified of the future.
Usually, it’s Henry’s future selves who travel backward in time to help and support younger, less experienced Henrys. But as Henry’s condition worsens with time, he increasingly relies on younger versions of himself for guidance. This scene highlights how advanced Henry’s condition has become over the years—with increasing regularity, he seems to find himself in highly dangerous situations. And as readers and Henry are well aware, his death isn’t very far off—he will die when Alba is five years old, meaning his death will happen within the year.
Themes
