Repent, Harlequin: Said The Ticktockman

“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison is a short story about a dystopian society in which time is everything. There are groups of people who only use certain characteristics in their lives and completely lack others, but the Harlequin is one of few who use their conscience as well. However, the Harlequin is a troublemaker who has no sense of time whose goal is to change the rigid society. The Ticktockman, the stringent authority figure, is out to get the Harlequin for throwing the master schedule off by seven minutes. After exhausting every means of apprehending the dissident, he is finally captured due to his friend, Alice, turning him in.
“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison is a short story