An Analysis of the Element of Time in the Novel Chess with the Doomsday Machine

Abstract

Time is one of the elements that gives the fictional text its identity and distinguishes a story and a narrative. In addition, time take different functions in the fictional text and contribute to the progression of the story in various ways. The present research investigated the element of time in the novel Chess with the Doomsday Machine by the theory of Gerard Genet. Considering the memory-like structure of the novel, anachronism has highly frequency in the text and calendar time is not of much significance. The interest of the author in writing the story based on his mental images has obviated the need to record the precise dates of the events. Drawing on the technique of breaking the time in the narrative, the author has created suspense in the story and resolved some of the ambiguities existing in the text. Frequent descriptions and attention to detail have stopped the time of the narrative in most of the scenes of the story. In the novel, the narrative frequency of the events is of singular type and, drawing on such a method, the author has tried to help with the pace and advancement of the story. The author of the novel Chess with the Doomsday Machine has utilized various time-related techniques and methods to narrate the transformation of the perspective of the protagonist of the story from a dogmatic to a relatively tolerant attitude, and has wielded time techniques to cast doubt on many learned beliefs of the narrator.