Analysis
Apocalypse: Similar with the concept of "The Slowing" the characters in the novel experience an apocalyptic event in which gravity is affected and food becomes scarce. As time goes on the earth becomes more affected and the inhabitants experience a mysterious syndrome, which causes difficulties with adapting to The Slowing.
Time: "The Slowing," which is introduced near the beginning of The Age of Miracles is a phenomenon that slows the rotation of the Earth. Days become longer and the sun shines without end as eyes grow tired of the ever present sunlight. The community where Julia and her family live become stuck between "real time" and "clock time." Those who follow real time live according to the sun and reject the government's adoption of "clock time." Clock time on the other hand takes the function of a 24 hour clock, going about the day in a normal routine regardless of whether it's day or night.
The Slowing creates drastic effects for the characters like Julia's mother, who struggles to adapt to the fluctuations of the elongated days. Julia's grandfather believes that the slowing is a hoax and Julia's neighbor, Sylvia rejects clock time, living by the sun instead. Although Julia tries to adapt to her new life with the slowing, others come to see the damage it has on the environment and the excess radiation, which proves fatal. The world is coming to a slow end and you have what feels like all the time in the world. So, what would you do? For the characters, time doesn't prevent them from going about their everyday lives. Julia still goes to school, plays soccer, and hangs out with friends. Though the slowing effects the length of the day, the characters continue to function at reasonable paces. In addition, Julia especially, learns more about herself and the concept of moments as she lives through the "age of miracles." She reasons that although time feels endless, that what feels like the actual end of the world is just another step of life. Julia notes, "And this one fact seemed to point to other facts and other still: Love frays and humans fail, time passes, eras end." Time will go on, but enable Julia to gain understanding and purpose of herself in the midst of a catastrophic event. Moments fade and so does time.
Coming of Age: It's the end of the world as Julia knows it and she begins to experience the desires of her first love as well as maturing slowly into a young woman. According to Julia, “This was middle school, the age of miracles, the time when kids shot up three inches over the summer, when breasts bloomed from nothing, when voices dipped and dove. Our first flaws were emerging, but they were being corrected. Blurry vision could be fixed invisibly with the magic of the contact lens. Crooked teeth were pulled straight with braces. Spotty skin could be chemically cleared. Some girls were turning beautiful. A few boys were growing tall.” The age of miracles can be defined as the emerging age of adolescence and birth into an era where anything is possible.
Time: "The Slowing," which is introduced near the beginning of The Age of Miracles is a phenomenon that slows the rotation of the Earth. Days become longer and the sun shines without end as eyes grow tired of the ever present sunlight. The community where Julia and her family live become stuck between "real time" and "clock time." Those who follow real time live according to the sun and reject the government's adoption of "clock time." Clock time on the other hand takes the function of a 24 hour clock, going about the day in a normal routine regardless of whether it's day or night.
The Slowing creates drastic effects for the characters like Julia's mother, who struggles to adapt to the fluctuations of the elongated days. Julia's grandfather believes that the slowing is a hoax and Julia's neighbor, Sylvia rejects clock time, living by the sun instead. Although Julia tries to adapt to her new life with the slowing, others come to see the damage it has on the environment and the excess radiation, which proves fatal. The world is coming to a slow end and you have what feels like all the time in the world. So, what would you do? For the characters, time doesn't prevent them from going about their everyday lives. Julia still goes to school, plays soccer, and hangs out with friends. Though the slowing effects the length of the day, the characters continue to function at reasonable paces. In addition, Julia especially, learns more about herself and the concept of moments as she lives through the "age of miracles." She reasons that although time feels endless, that what feels like the actual end of the world is just another step of life. Julia notes, "And this one fact seemed to point to other facts and other still: Love frays and humans fail, time passes, eras end." Time will go on, but enable Julia to gain understanding and purpose of herself in the midst of a catastrophic event. Moments fade and so does time.
Coming of Age: It's the end of the world as Julia knows it and she begins to experience the desires of her first love as well as maturing slowly into a young woman. According to Julia, “This was middle school, the age of miracles, the time when kids shot up three inches over the summer, when breasts bloomed from nothing, when voices dipped and dove. Our first flaws were emerging, but they were being corrected. Blurry vision could be fixed invisibly with the magic of the contact lens. Crooked teeth were pulled straight with braces. Spotty skin could be chemically cleared. Some girls were turning beautiful. A few boys were growing tall.” The age of miracles can be defined as the emerging age of adolescence and birth into an era where anything is possible.
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