Being Stuck in Time

Throughout the novel, many of the characters become stuck in time. Some of the characters become stuck psychologically, like the man who is obsessed with his achievements in high school. Other characters become stuck physically in time, like the doctoral student who decides not to face his fears and move forward in time. He remains in the comfortable study of his mentor, never finishing his doctorate or moving on to his future. In all of these instances, being stuck in time is isolating. Other people move on with their lives or become stuck in different moments, and each person who is stuck in time is isolated.

Another example of being stuck in time is the time traveler who is isolated because she has been uprooted from her own time. Like the doctoral student, she is paralyzed by fear. She is afraid of changing the future...