Who Is The Master Schedule In Harlan Ellison's Repent, Harlequin

What idea does the author develop regarding the conflict between pursuing a personal desire and choosing to conform?

The level of regulation in a society can greatly influence those who live in it. Often times, when people are confined to a specific lifestyle or way of thinking, the rate of human progression becomes crippled. In both The Matrix, written by the Wachowski Brothers, and Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, a close look on restricted worlds reveals the devastating effects of control.

One of the most important symbols of this story is Harrison; he symbolizes the revolution that everyone wants ad needs, he also symbolizes independence and doing what you think is right. We know this because he is the only one in the story who at least tries to gain independence and freedom. Another important symbol are the handicaps; which symbolize the oppression, conformity and the false equality. The handicaps show this because they are the tools the government uses to oppress people and stop them from being themselves. Symbolism shows the tone of foreboding because every symbol relates to something that could happen like the handicaps are like chains that hold us back and Harrison is like the revolutionist with a new idea or

Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut and The Pedestrian by Bradbury warn readers about the dangers of conformity and total equality through a loss of individuality in society and the cruelty of a totalitarian government. In today’s society, some countries’ citizens are lucky to have individual freedom. It is a blessing to be able to be whoever you want to be, but conformity and total equality can ruin that. Vonnegut and Bradbury portray this warning in Harrison Bergeron and The Pedestrian by describing societies where citizens aren’t blessed and must live under oppressive governments enforcing conformity and total

In addition to the use of symbolism, Ellison utilizes visual imagery to illustrate examples of corruption and the Harlequin’s role in inciting rebellion. One example, of visual imagery is when the Harlequin is described as having “an elfish grin spread across his tanned features, and his dimples appeared for a moment. Scratching at his thatch of auburn hair, he shrugged within his motley,” (Ellison 3). In this example, Ellison demonstrates the awkward nature of the Harlequin, which contributes to his inability to conform to the rest of society. This predisposition to looking different than normal, contributes to the Harlequin’s thoughts of rebellion to the norms of the Tick Tock Man’s timely society. Additionally, along physical features, the

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right” (Martin Luther King, Jr.). Martin Luther King, Jr. understood that a man of moral conscience is obliged to stand up for his society when needed much like Harlan Ellison who proves this same point in his short story. “‘Repent Harlequin’ Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison, is a short story about a man named Everett C. Marm who becomes the persona of the Harlequin to save his society from the oppression of the Master Timekeeper, commonly known as the Ticktockman. The story takes place in a world where being on time is valued above all else and the Ticktockman has the right to subtract

“Repent, Harlequin! said the Ticktockman” is a science fiction short story in which society dictated by timeliness to the point where citizens are subjected to death if they were to be late in any aspect of their lives. Much of the symbolism and the themes that are derived revolve around the archetypes of the protagonist and antagonist in relation to what they stand for and how they challenge one another.

Society is a tyrant. It refuses to abide by anybody’s laws but its own, which are cruel and unjust. Overwhelming and authoritative, it oppresses people by forcing them to be complacent and blindly comply to its rules. But what happens if nobody is willing to retaliate against society’s abuse? Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey centralizes on the idea of government corruption and the overwhelming odds one must overcome to overthrow an abominable authority. Eddie Russet, an ignorant conformist to the rules of the Colortocracy, is banished to East Carmine where his unbridled curiosity lead him into dangerous dilemmas with unique people. These characters dissect him piece by piece to expose his latent courage as he transitions from being an immature

has lead to negative outcomes. This idea is explored through “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden. In these two texts conformity eliminates individuality and causes the society to be weakened.

Harlan Ellison uses many literary devices in the science fiction short story “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” (1934) to exhibit how the government has too much control over the society and must be overthrown. The story takes place around the year “2389” (Ellison) in a society run by a totalitarian government that relies solely on order and being on time. The protagonist and lone rebeller, Harlequin, pulls many shenanigans in an attempt to set back the society and disrupt the order. The Ticktockman, the antagonist dictator, uses his excess power to take down the Harlequin and destroy his identity. The outcome of the story, along with the main devices Ellison uses, including allusion, diction, characterization, organization, and

“In the Penal Colony” by Kafka, demonstrates the power of bureaucracy and how it attacks a person’s quality of life and diminishes their level of humanity. The officer in the story, he who is in charge of executing prisoners with an apparatus, shows his sentiment towards it but is then met with the traveler who condemns it. The officer does not realize the lack of morality in his actions because he is a tyrant. Accordingly, the position of the officer results in tyranny as he fully internalizes the system that was instated by the old commandant which is what eventually kills him. This can be seen through the officer’s reasoning when he makes his decisions and the traveler’s disapproval of the apparatus.

Government has the authority to lead the people, but there is an extent of their control. The novel Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, depicts a dystopian world of extreme crime and violence. However, while the depicted society does condemn violence, it also facilitates the destruction of humanity and the autonomy of individuals. When a human is depersonalized and stripped of their free will, they are simply the “clockworks” under the control of their oppressors. They are no longer a person; rather, they are the robot that is programmed to give more power to the government. While the protagonist, Alex, may choose vicious acts, he chooses them with a clear ethical capacity. On the other hand, when being controlled by the government, he loses the part of him that makes him human. Individuals may not always make the best choice, but humanity comes from a human’s ability to choose between right and wrong. In this case, the destruction of Alex’s humanity proves that it is better to be bad by choice, than to be good by government coercion.

Chronotopes are formally constistuted category of novels. The choice of chronotopes is central in novels ,it is the type of space and time that the novelist takes in order to organize his work. Chronotopes even define genre of a piece of a work and different genres have distinctive chronotopes .Chronotopes are very significant as they are the “organizing centre for the fundamental narrative events of the novel .The chronotope is the place where the knots of narrative are tied and untied .The events of any narrative are structured around the chronotopes as they make the events abstract . The plot of a novel is manipulated within the chronotopes . They make the events realistic as time and

The modern man’s isolation is inevitable. The modern man is expected to work eight hours a day, five times a week in order to provide for the family. Oftentimes, work is but a repetitive daily struggle consisting menial tasks meaningless to the workers. The workplace has become a controlled laboratory with the most efficient processes designed to bring in the most revenue to the business owner. Society looks down on those who refuse to participate in the rat race, whether voluntarily or circumstantial. In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka warns us of the consequences that befall those who do not conform to the norms and expectations of the modern society.

‘Funny how the people who desperately want to change you are the least likely to change anything about themselves’. That is one of my favourite quotes that demonstrates the harsh and unfortunate realities of societal control. Whether it be with leaders in society, media or ordinary everyday people, stereotypical and authoritative restraints are placed on everyone. My report demonstrates how and why control is used to oppress others. The texts I have chosen as examples are ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Whiplash’. I feel that each of my selected texts display ideas of control resulting in somewhat perceived superior people thriving and perceived inferior people being oppressed.