Ben Character Analysis in The Time Traveler’s Wife

Ben is a friend of Henry’s. He works as a vigilante chemist and pharmacist, synthesizing drugs for impoverished and marginalized populations who are living with AIDS and cancer. Ben, who has AIDS himself, seeks to care for others without stigma. Henry and Ben bond over their shared uncertainty in light of their afflictions; Ben is one of the few people who knows about Henry’s condition. Prior to Henry and Clare’s wedding, he attempts to help Henry find a treatment that will keep him from time traveling during the ceremony, but the drugs that Ben synthesizes have severe side effects that land Henry is the hospital, and Clare makes Henry stop taking the drugs before the wedding.

Ben Character Timeline in The Time Traveler’s Wife

The timeline below shows where the character Ben appears in The Time Traveler’s Wife. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...September 6, 1993 (Henry is 30). Henry waits in a rundown neighborhood for his friend Ben to come home. He runs into Gomez, who is there as a lawyer helping a... (full context)

...another five years, but he thinks it will help keep time traveling episodes at bay. Ben is hesitant about the side effects too, but he eventually agrees to synthesize it. Henry... (full context)

...that he would do anything for her. Gomez asks her why Henry has gone to Ben, who he has heard primarily likes to help cancer and AIDS patients. Clare explains they... (full context)

...him on the floor having an adverse reaction to the risperidone pill that he requested Ben synthesize for him. Clare calls both Ben and 911. At the hospital, Ben arrives and... (full context)

...drinks Scotch in the reception hall while Clare is away in another room with Lucille. Ben and Gomez join him. Henry asks Gomez to go back to the church to retrieve... (full context)

...tells her that he will be there any moment, and Kimy adds that she saw Ben taking clothes to the bathroom. Clare is worried that both Henrys have disappeared, but the... (full context)

...Henry goes to the bar, where he watches Clare dance with Celia Attley. He and Ben have a drink. Ben wonders aloud who Celia is, and Henry explains she’s friends with... (full context)

(10:15 p.m.). Clare can’t locate Henry in the living room or the kitchen. She finds Ben making tea and asks him if he has seen Henry. Ben tells Clare he and... (full context)