The Time Traveler's Wife
written by: Audrey Niffenegge
The Time Traveler's Wife Summary
Time Traveler's Wife begins with a
prologue in which the main characters,
Henry and Clare, introduce the nature of
their relationship as a time traveler and a
time traveler's wife. The alternating first-
person perspectives set a precedent for the
rest of the story, which largely follows the
chronology of Clare's life but also takes us
along for some of Henry's time-traveling
adventures.
Book 1: The Man Out Of Time
Clare and Henry meet at the Newberry
Library in Chicago. She's a 20-year-old art
student. He's a 28-year-old librarian. Clare is
overjoyed to see Henry – she tells him she
has known him since she was 6. Henry
doesn't remember her but agrees to go out to
dinner with her, amazed at how much he
means to this "luminous creature." During
dinner, Clare reveals to him that she knows
about his time travel disorder and that they
met for the first time when she was 6 years
old and he was 43. She shows him a diary
that holds all dates for his visits. Henry feels
overwhelmed by all this information, but
also finds himself very attracted to her. He
asks Clare to pretend that this is a normal
first date between two normal people. Clare
apologizes for her fervor. She tells him
about her family and he tells her about his.
After dinner, Henry brings Clare home to his
messy bachelor apartment. Without much
ado, Clare tells him that she wants to make
love to him because, for her, this day has
been years in the making. Henry wants to
take his time, but indulges her request
nonetheless. He senses that there's
something special between them. In the
morning, Clare discovers another woman's
toiletries in the bathroom. Henry tells her
that his relationship with that other woman
is over.
Henry then recalls the first time he time
traveled. It's his fifth birthday. His parents
take him to the Field Museum of Natural
History in Chicago. Later that night, he
suddenly pops back in time to the museum.
A 24-year-old version of Henry takes on the
job of guiding him through this first
experience. Older Henry explains to younger
Henry that he's a time traveler, but that he
needs to keep his travels a secret. During
Henry's teenage years, his older version
teaches him time travelers' tricks of survival,
including stealing, breaking and entering,
and running from the police.
The narration jumps to the first time 43-
year-old Henry meets 6-year-old Clare in a
meadow, not far from her family's house on
Lake Michigan. He calls out to Clare from
behind a bush, where he's trying to conceal
himself because he's naked. Clare
grudgingly hands him her picnic blanket so
he can cover up. But Henry explains to
Clare that he's a time traveler, so he can't
take anything with him as he pops in and out
of time because that would really mess
things up in the world. He asks her to please
bring him some clothes the next time he
visits and names the date. Clare is torn
between fascination and suspicion. She
watches Henry disappear before her eyes.
On the date given, Clare waits for Henry
with old clothes from her dad. When he
shows up, Clare warms up to Henry and tells
him that she now believes his story.
Throughout her childhood, and into her
teenage years, Clare spends a lot of time
with 43-year-old Henry. Although Henry
refuses to divulge details about Clare's
future with him, he does share bits and
pieces of Clare's future self and their
relationship in his present. Clare realizes
that her relationship with Henry has changed
her life and makes her different from other
people. In fact, her peers take her to be
strange and wonder why she's not interested
in boys their own age.
One morning, Clare wakes up to Henry
calling her name. Outside she finds her
father and brother in hunting gear, looking at
an empty spot of grass that's flecked with
blood. She sees Henry standing off the
distance, waving at her, but she senses that
something terrible has happened.
Clare's budding teenage hormones make
her long for a sexual relationship with Henry
–since she knows now that she'll marry
Henry and will be with him in her future,
she wonders what's the big deal about
having some sex now too? Henry blocks her
advances, but admits that he loves her.
During Christmas time, Clare hides Henry
in the reading room of her parents' house.
Henry hates Christmas because it marks the
day of his mother's death. He explains to her
that on the morning of Christmas Eve, when
Henry was six years old, they got into a car
accident on their way to pick up his father.
Henry survived only because he time
traveled. The police found him standing
naked by the side of the road. Since then, he
has traveled to the scene of his mother's
death again and again, but all he can do is
watch the tragedy unfold, helpless. Henry
blames himself for her death and thinks he
should have died too.
Back in the present, Clare invites Henry to
have dinner at her apartment with her
roommate Charisse and with Gomez,
Charisse's boyfriend. Gomez disapproves of
Clare's relationship with Henry because he
has garnered the reputation of a womanizer
and troublemaker in Chicago's club scene.
Case in point: two weeks after the dinner,
Gomez sees an older version of Henry beat
up a guy in front of a club. Gomez then
follows him as Henry breaks into a store to
get some clothes. When Henry reveals to
him that he's a time traveler, Gomez doesn't
believe him until Henry disappears before
his eyes. The experience convinces Gomez
even more that Henry is the wrong guy for
Clare. But Clare tells him that her future has
chosen Henry and, even if she had a choice,
it still would be Henry because she loves the
guy.
Clare brings Henry to meet her family for
Christmas. Shortly after, Henry proposes to
Clare. Both families give their blessings to
their marriage. During the wedding
ceremony, Clare exchanges vows with an
older version of Henry, because present
Henry has time traveled.
Book 2: A Drop Of Blood in a Bowl of Milk
The second part of the story begins with
Henry and Clare's married life, marked by
Henry's frequent absences. Clare now
worries about him a bunch when he's gone.
She also starts to feel trapped in their small
apartment, unable to properly pursue her
work as an artist. Henry decides to use his
time traveling advantage to rig the Illinois
Lottery and Clare wins $8 million. This
allows them to move into a house with a
large studio for Clare.
Henry tracks down Dr. Kendrick, his
doctor-to-be. Henry explains to the man that
he time travels involuntarily, a condition
that will later becomes known as "Chrono-
Impairment." He tells Kendrick that they
will work together on solving his problem.
Kendrick, too, doesn't believe him until he
sees Henry disappear right in front of him.
Faced with Henry's frequent absences,
Clare starts to wish for a baby, so that a part
of Henry will stay with her when he's gone.
They experiences six miscarriages, because
Henry's condition appears to be hereditary,
causing the babies to time travel and Clare's
body to abort them. The miscarriages put a
strain on Henry and Clare's relationship
until, finally, Henry decides to get a
vasectomy. A younger version of him,
though, enables Clare to get pregnant again.
Clare has a good feeling about this
pregnancy. Traveling to the future, Henry
meets his daughter-to-be, Alba, as a ten-
year-old, confirming that they'll indeed have
a child this time. Alba is a time traveler as
well, but she has more control over her
travels than her father does. She reveals to
Henry that he died at the age of 43 when she
was only 5. Henry keeps his impending
death a secret from Clare.
One day, Clare finds Henry on the living
room floor, back from his travels and with
severe hypothermia. At the hospital, his feet
have to be amputated above the ankle. Both
Henry and Clare know that not being able to
run now puts Henry in severe danger on his
time travels.
Dr. Kendrick informs Henry that he won't
be able to cure him, mainly because his
disorder is too complex to figure out in
Henry's lifetime. But he believes that Alba
might have a chance at a normal life.
At a New Year's party after Henry's 43rd
birthday, Henry senses that he will die soon.
He spends his last moments with Clare
before he time travels to a day in Clare's past
where he accidentally gets shot by her
brother Mark while he's out hunting.
Book 3: A Treatise on Longing
Book 3 describes Clare's life after Henry's
death. She finds a letter from Henry, urging
her to stop waiting for him and to move on
with her life. He mentions, however, that he
believes that he once traveled to a time
where he saw her as an old woman in the
future, so Clare decides to wait for him.
During the following years, Henry travels
back frequently to spend time with Alba, but
he never visits Clare. Finally, when Clare is
82 years old, Henry comes to see her again.
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 The Time Traveler's Wife
Written by: Audrey Niffenegger
The illustration is based on 3 objects: A Girl's shoes, Man's shoes and a Clock. It describes the
love story about Henry, a man, with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel
unpredictably, and about Clare, his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent absences
and dangerous experiences of reappearing in odd places. Both shoes were both for Clare and
Henry and as the guy kept traveling within the time. They chose to hold onto a clock and always
wait for each other.
 Plot

The plot began in the present day, when Henry is 28 and Clare is 20. Henry did not know Clare
at the time because he did not meet her until he was 35 years old. This stage was similar to the
bonding and getting to know each other stage. Rising Action: They were falling in love with
each other at this point, and they later decided to marry. Clare was also desperate to have a baby,
despite having six miscarriages. It was also at this point that Henry decided to have a vasectomy
so that he would not be able to get Clare pregnant. Climax: The climax began when they
discovered Henry's body lying on the ground, wounded. Henry was also paralyzed as a result of
his filthy feet. Then, during his time travel, he was shot by his father-in-law and brother-in-law
while hunting in the forest. He died as a result of that incident. Falling action: Clare went on with
her life after Henry died, waiting for him to return. Resolution: Henry reconciled with Clare at
the age of 82. Clare spent her entire life waiting for Henry, from the time they met to Henry's
death. She was still waiting for him to appear.

Implication of the Title The Time Traveler’s Wife also depicts the effects of time travel on
Henry and Clare’s marriage and their passionate love for each other, as the story unfolds from
both points of view. Clare and Henry attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals—
steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can
neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

Foreshadowing occurs when future events in a story are presented throughout the book and
provide a hint of what is to come. “It's hard to be left behind,” Clare said, and Henry later adds,
“Okay, here's how it is, I time travel.” When you combine what Clare and Henry said, you
realize Niffenegger was foreshadowing.

Literary Devices

Everything in the story represents something else in an allegory. Henry's childhood fascination
with museums is an example of an allegory. Because Henry is a time traveler, a museum
provides him with solace because it contains everything from the past to the present. Another
example of allegory is the dreams Clare has about having children with Henry, but in these
dreams the babies have some type of issue. These nightmares Clare has appeared to be referring
to the six miscarriages she had.

When the audience is aware of something that the other characters are not, this is referred to as
dramatic irony. We know from the start that Henry is a time traveler and Clare is his love, but
they aren't fully aware of it. Furthermore, young Clare is completely unaware of her future with
Henry, despite the fact that we, the readers, are fully aware of the situation.

Setting

Because Henry is a time traveler, the setting frequently shifts. The story began in the year 1965
and ended in the year 2053. Henry and Clare first met in the meadow near Clare's parents' home
in South Haven, Michigan. Clare's younger years were spent in the meadow, which served as a
gathering place for them. This location is significant because it was the site of many significant
events in their lives. They got married, and This location is significant because it is the site of
many significant events in their lives. The location of their wedding was in Chicago. Henry grew
up in this neighborhood. Clare worked as an artist in a studio here..

Point of View

The author's writing style reflects Clare and Henry's points of view. This book is written
entirely in the first person. The author used the character's name when speaking, which made it
easier for the readers. The title "The Time Traveler's Wife" implies that Clare is the story's main
character. Despite this, the narration appears to give equal attention to Clare and Henry.What
speaks for the book as being mainly Clare's story, however, is that the narration follows her
chronological timeline, which is also the reader's timeline. Her life proceeds in a linear fashion
like ours and gives us a context from which to view the often-confusing jumps. We get to
experience Clare's struggle with waiting for Henry but also go along for the ride ofHenry's
excursions.
 Genre

Throughout the novel, tragedy is used. In the beginning, Henry witnessed his mother's death
and his own near-death. Henry dies in Clare's arms at the end of the book.

Language

Figurative language occurs when the intended meaning differs from the actual meaning of
something said. Clare uses personification in her sentence, “I have been sitting on the small,
footbridge watching water bugs skating on the still, small pool”. She is giving the water bugs
human-like characteristics.

"The room is both quiet and crowded, with solid, heavy tables piled high with books and
surrounded by readers. The autumn morning light in Chicago shines through the tall windows.”.
This quote allows you to hear and see what Clare is hearing and seeing, bringing you right along
with her.

Motif

The title 'The Time Travelers Wife' contains a key motif for this novel. Of course, time travel is
possible. This book is all about time travel, with Henry being thrown around to different times in
his and Clare's lives, never fully in control of what's going on around him. This is most likely
one of the book's most notable features.

Characters

Clare
Clare is a young Catholic girl who grew up in an unstructured family. She was a little sassy,
especially when she met Henry. She became more curious as she grew more at ease with Henry.
Clare was devoted to her art and her family.
Henry
When Henry was a young boy, he was innocent and scared. He went through various
tragedies that turned him into a strong man. Even though he didn't make the best decisions, he
deeply cares about Clare and Alba.

Alba
Alba is Henry and Clares' daughter. She is always mature for her age and is a lot like her
father. She has his features and time traveling skills.
 CONFLICT

Fate vs. Free Will

The Time Traveler's Wife contrasts determinism (the belief that your life is predetermined) with
free will (the idea that your choices can influence and alter your future). Although time traveler
Henry knows what his future holds, he tries to live his life as if he doesn't know what it holds. It's
because he believes that knowing your future makes you unhappy and trapped, because you can't
change it.

Symbols & ideas

The title certainly gives readers an idea of what the story is about. The story revolved primarily
around Clare and Henry, which corresponds to the title The Time Traveler's Wife. The
characters' names were not symbolic. Because they can't see each other when they meet in the
meadow, the location was ideal. Other locations in the story served as metaphors as well.
The symbols and theme encourage readers to think critically. It also hints at what will happen
next in the story to the readers. The significance of the symbol, in my opinion, is that it makes
the reader more curious about what will happen next. Through the symbols, it appears as if the
author is giving the readers something to imagine and consider. As a result, making the readers
predict or as

1. Museum/Library – The Store Houses of Time Henry liked museums since he was a little kid.
There was once that his parents took him to a museum and he was so excited about it that he
could not sleep the night before. He had no control of his time travel and the museum made him
feel at home where past, present, and future existed at the same time. It makes him feel secured.

2. Time – A Tape Recorder Henry compared the tape recorder to a time traveler’s life to
explain to Clare (when she was six years old) how it works.
 3. Clare’s Dream – Hope and Fear Clare had a dream of being a mermaid on the night before
her wedding day. She was afraid that she might not be able to marry Henry. She was full of hope
and determined to marry Henry. Clare also dreamt about having babies. She was worried if she
will have a baby. “I have been dreaming all night. The dreams merge, now. In one part of this
dream I was swimming in the ocean, I was a mermaid.” “I dream that my mother and I are
walking together down a quiet residential street in South Haven. I am carrying a baby. As we
walk, the baby becomes heavier and heavier, until I can barely lift it.”

4. Henry’s Dream – Loss of Freedom He dreamt that his feet was amputated. Without his feet,
he could not run and running for him is one way of escaping from danger especially when he is
time traveling. The loss of his feet means the loss of control over his life and sense of being.
“Look, they’re all white!” And it’s true, the skin has gone dead white, the feet are lifeless and
putrid.

I discovered similarities between Audrey Niffenegger, the author, and her characters. They are
in the same city as her character, which is Chicago. as well as the same job as Clare, who is also
an artist Finally, Audrey enjoyed traveling, which is why Henry time travels. I liked the
foreshadowing, the complexities, and the fact that we never really know what Alba will do in the
future, whether she embraces time travel or tries to stop it. I loved how the poignant pain begins
to trickle across the pages as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. I'm curious to see how
Clare and Alba's relationship evolved after Henry left, but I'm glad it wasn't in the book.I'm
curious to see how Clare and Alba's relationship developed after Henry left, but I'm glad it wasn't
included in the story. It makes me happy that there are so many blanks for my imagination to fill.
I also enjoyed the author's approach to the paradox of time travel. It sounded like the most
plausible, unarguable position I'd ever heard although I have no proof of it.