Time in Tropic of Orange

In a pop-quiz last Wednesday, our professor had us choose one term/notion/topic we’ve studied and discussed from The Theory Toolbox and explain where it is seen in Karen Tei Yamashtia’s Tropic of Orange. I found myself interested in the answer I formed and I thought I’d expand on it.

So, in the TT, I decided to focus on the eighth chapter and it’s subject of space and time. In the TT, time is described as not often be thought of in shaping our daily lives- yet we assign a certain meaning to a certain time. But to us, space and time seem given and self-evident. The TT then goes on to say “Yet, on closer inspection, space and time are deeply social as opposed to natural phenomena.” Although time, in Tropic of Orange, is shared as a major factor between the many protagonists and their stories, Buzzworm’s character seems to possess a certain affinity to it- and seems to serve as an excellent example of the TT’s understanding of time. Buzzworm has a collection of over 200 nearly mint-condition wrist watches. The narrator tells us that Buzzworm believes, “everybody’s got a time piece and a piece of time. Watch was an outward reflection of your personal time” (Yamashtia 86). In that personal “time piece” (watch), is held an individual’s personal clock- a collection of that individual’s past moments and future efforts. When we think of time in this personal sense, it takes on a different significance to everyone. Buzzworm suggests, “had nothing to do with time. Had to do with a sense of time. Sense of urgency. Sense of rhythm,” (Yamashtia, 86). If we think of time as a personal rhythm, we understand that Buzzworm is trying to explain that rather people moving time, time moves people. A certain minute/hour/day could be very significant to one person, and mean absolutely nothing to another. Buzzfeed connects himself to the lives of the people that these watches were once owned by through their stories and the specific times it represented in their lives. In a way, he uses these watches as a way to pause time- much like in the beginning of the Thursday chapter of Tropic of Orange.

One Response to Time in Tropic of Orange

  1. Prof VZ March 13, 2016 at 9:58 am #

    The idea of Buzzworm in relation to time is also very interesting in relation to what the TT authors describe as racial inequalities of time–temporal inequalities that mark our varying experiences of time as we carry out our lives. Buzz’s collection is symbolic of this deep understanding–that to understand how a person uses and lives time, we can understand a lot about what constrains them and what makes their lives possible. Interesting connection here!

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