Fairy Tale Spotlight: "Repent, Harlequin," Said the Ticktockman [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the plot story for not the feel of it. Read on and I'll explain.]

The name of the story is ["Repent, Harlequin," Said the Ticktockman.] Sorry, I had no idea how to properly type out a story title that had quotations in it. It is a short science fiction story written by Harlan Ellison and published in 1965. It's a weird one!

At the start of it, this story is very hard to follow. I could not figure out what the hell I was reading. It was a jumbled mess of narrative and random gibberish made up by the author. However, if you just keep persisting, it does explain itself very well. The reason everything is written so crazy is likely because it is from the perspective of a mad harlequin... from the future!

Yes, the world itself is set in the far future where everything is set to a schedule, and people are morally judged only by how on time or late they are. Every time they are late, the time is docked from how long they are allowed to live, and if they are late enough, a leader-type character called the Ticktockman "turns them off." Basically they are executed. Honestly, this is a very cool idea.

The Harlequin character is rebelling against society by being late to everything. Hilariously, he always says that he will be somewhere at a particular time just so he can be late. This drives the Ticktockman crazy, and a task force is sent out to find him. And they do. They capture him and ask him to repent. It's in the title. That's what happens.

The final part of the book outrightly rips off "1984." It doesn't show what happens, it just says that the same stuff in "1984" happens to the Harlequin, and that it goes the same way. That is such a hilarious way to explain something. Just say it's like another famous book.

In a lot of ways, this is sort of a parody version of "1984," but from more of a liberal's perspective. It's really not that bad. The Harlequin was pretty damn entertaining. He was certainly rebelling against a rigid society, but he had a nervousness about him which was endearing. I thought he was a brilliant character.

I do recommend this story. I know I spoiled it, but... the story is so weirdly written. This blog doesn't really do anything to show you what that feels like. You just have to experience it to understand. It is the most outlandish narrative I have ever encountered in my life. Very much worth your time, regardless of your political affiliation.

This blog was written on June 11, 2024.

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