Cyclical Time In Waterland Analysis

The repetitive and circular nature of history is embodied in both the past and present of Crick’s life. This circular movement is most easily identified and elucidated in the details surrounding his wife’s incarceration. According to “The Construction of Cyclical Time in Waterland,” Swift “constructs circular time not only by structuring Waterland's narrative cyclically but also by didactically presenting time as circular” (Rao). With that being said, along with attempting to refute Price’s skepticism, Crick “begins his journey into the past to find an explanation for why his wife kidnaps a baby” (Rao). Ultimately, the abduction is provoked by the circumstances involving Mary’s juvenile abortion and consequent infertility (Swift 253). Her father’s religious beliefs and Crick’s deployment prompts Mary to retreat to an extended period of isolation. When Crick returns three years later, they are …show more content…
Furthermore, the novel’s plot is also prompted by man’s rational inclination to ask “why?” To recapitulate, Crick uses storytelling as means to analyze and emphasize the repetitive nature of his life. Through his narrative, he discovers that history begins with mistakes and we study history to refrain from repeating those same mistakes. Despite this, history continues to repeat itself. In Crick’s case, he studies his history when it is too late to avert his past. Consequently, he is only able to analyze his past for the clarification of the present. Likewise, Mary and Dick revert to the troubles of their histories because they never attempt to study or come to terms with their pasts. Considering these common tendencies of human nature, do we ever truly learn from history? In line with the connotation of this question, German philosopher Friedrich Hegel asserted that in actuality, “the only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from