The Night Circus

Time plays a somewhat complicated role in the novel, especially in terms of how it influences the lives of the novel’s various characters. Except for Widget and Poppet, all of the characters in the novel are protected from the passing of time due to the various magical spells that have been cast around the circus. However, while time, in terms of aging, remains frozen for most of the characters, time is also shown to be a pressing force, one which serves to remind Celia and Marco of their impending duel. Still, much of the novel takes place in what seems to be a dream world in which time does not seem to move. At the conclusion of the novel, Widget suggests that the novel itself is an allegory for the nature of time and its passing, stating that “Time has altered and condensed their nuances, made them more than story, greater than the sums of their parts. But that requires time. The truest tales require time and familiarity to become what they are” (494). In fact, when Widget starts to retell the events of the novel to the Man in Grey, the cyclical nature of time is hinted at, suggesting, perhaps, that all the events that transpired are destined to be repeated.