Mouth's Journey part of the story is narrated in 3rd person. We do not know who the narrator is, but he/she is talking in the past tense, therefore is situated in some point in the future after Mouth's adventures. Dialogues are logically in the present tense, with the exceptions to some references to the past. During the unravelling of the story we will encounter several independent sections which will tell us about past events that are related to the story, but which are independent from the main storyline.
Nape continues to complain about the repetitive events, in this case the return of the rainy season which they name Christmas:
There was a loud clap of thunder and it began to rain.
"Oh, great," Nape said. "Christmas again." (section Dancing)Besides yearly events Mouth and his family division of months is based on the lunar phases:
"We ran into some people a moon ago, don’t you remember?"
"Of course we remember," she snapped. "But that was two moons ago, and they were from the Tipping Rock River area. Not even two hands full. Two thumbs of children, younger than Mouth here."
"Well, you’re such a wise-ass, Pouch, even if it was two moons it’s too damn many people. Right, Mouth?"
Mouth scratched behind his ear. "It’s not bad yet, but it will get crowded. The unfolding continues. It’s about time. We have to leave." (section Council)The unfolding continues confirms that unfolding is identified with the passing of time, which they perceive as linear.
After Christmas was over and the rain finally stopped again, and the world was all green, Mouth said it was time to get to work on the boat again. (section White Sale)
They do not have a name for the non-rainy season, but we can guess that it is Spring season because the world becomes green. But not only they guide by natural phenomena, they also establish certain holidays:
The next day was a holiday. Wart had declared it because she had found an enormous dead tree teeming with termites and had filled the skin of a very large and as yet unnamed animal with them. (section Seats)
In this case they are celebrating the finding of a dead tree with termites, and though that might not be important to the subject we are treating here, it is important in the sense that they are establishing fixed temporal marks which also contribute to the sense of unfolding.
Academic year 2008/2009
© About Time (Rob Swigart/Wordcircuits)
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Víctor Ortuño Domínguez
vicordo@alumni.uv.es
Universitat de València Press
