Momo Allegory

Michael Ende’s novel, “Momo” is a reflection on the nature of time. The author suggests that there is a loss of humanity when people lose a sense of the true value of time. This fiction illuminates truths about real life as the heroine ventures off to save her town from the men in grey. Through her quest, the story conveys that time has to be enjoyed like children and that there is no saving time. Momo and her friends illustrate the importance of a life of quality. Before the arrival of the men in grey, Momo and her friends live leisurely and playfully, which depicts an ideal lifestyle versus one based on consumerism and materialism, which later takes over. The men in grey coerce the residents of the town with numbers that claim to indicate …show more content…
The men in grey get through the majority of the population who is oblivious of their existence. Progressively, everyone is depriving themselves of time, in order to save it and have more in the future. In the story, the author implies that this is an allegory for “time is money”. The men in grey’s slogan “time is precious - Don’t waste it! Time is money - Save it!” (67), demonstrates the link. Their slogan is especially prevalent to the current society and Ende foreshadows it in his novel from 1973. The author illustrates this through the extent to which the characters in the story save time. Figaro, the barber eliminates all the activities that bring meaning and quality to his life in order to save time and earn more money. He does not want to “waste his time” by spending it with his mother or talking with his customers; things that he enjoyed doing in reality. Moreover, in consequence to all the time being saved, the parents are too busy to take care of their children. They use money as a stand-in for attention and try to buy their love. The children are admitted into prison-like “child depots” which are strict structures and educational systems preparing them for adulthood. Momo’s friends are only