Einstein's Dreams Study Guide - WordPress.com · published numerous other fiction, essays, fables, and scientific tracts, along with a memoir. Some of Lightman's other notable titles

Einstein'sDreamsStudy Guide by Course Hero

What's Inside

j Book Basics 1 .................................................................................................

d In Context 1 .....................................................................................................

a Author Biography 2 .....................................................................................

h Characters 3 ..................................................................................................

k Plot Summary 5 .............................................................................................

c Chapter Summaries 8 ................................................................................

g Quotes 21 .........................................................................................................

l Symbols 23 .....................................................................................................

m Themes 23 ......................................................................................................

b Motifs 24 ..........................................................................................................

e Suggested Reading 24 ..............................................................................

j Book BasicsAUTHORAlan Lightman

YEAR PUBLISHED1993

GENREFiction

PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATORThe events of Einstein's Dreams are described by a third-

person omniscient narrator. During the Interlude sections of

the novel, the narrator uses a third-person limited perspective

for the character of Michele Besso to show Albert Einstein in

his waking life.

TENSEEinstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is written in the present

tense.

ABOUT THE TITLEThe title Einstein's Dreams refers to the physicist Albert

Einstein and a fictitious rendering of an imagined series of

dreams he had while composing his theory of time.

d In Context

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was born in Germany in 1879 to a middle-class

Jewish family and was schooled in Switzerland. Unable to find

a teaching job after he graduated, he first worked in a patent

office similar to the one depicted at the start of Einstein's

Dreams. While there he developed and wrote much of his

theory of relativity, working off Isaac Newton's previous

theories. He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. In

1932, shortly before Adolph Hitler became German chancellor,

Einstein and his family immigrated to the United States to

escape the dangers they faced as Jews, and he taught at

Princeton University until 1945.

Einstein condemned violence in war and believed the welfare

of humanity as a whole must always take precedence over

individual nations' goals. In addition to his scientific pursuits, he

worked diligently for peace and nuclear disarmament until his

death in 1950. He is considered one of the greatest scientists

and thinkers in history.

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Author Biography 2

Copyright © 2018 Course Hero, Inc.

Theory of Relativity

Einstein's theory of relativity was published in 1905, but it didn't

become widely accepted until the 1920s. While his work on the

subject built off the work of previous scientists, Einstein's

discoveries upended previous theories about the nature of

time created by Isaac Newton. Newton believed that space and

time operated independently of each other, and Einstein's

theory investigated how to interpret motion between objects

that are traveling at relatively the same speed. His findings

revealed that time and space are linked in this relative way.

Einstein ultimately combined his ideas about time and space

into a single entity: spacetime. His theory of relativity is

exemplified by the Global Positioning System (GPS), a

navigation system featured in cars and smartphones that

works accurately by relying on satellites using relativistic

clocks accurate to the nanosecond.

In Einstein's Dreams Lightman creates a fictional version of

Einstein in order to imagine how he might have conjured up

these complicated theories while working as a patent clerk. To

make the complicated science palatable to a wider audience,

Lightman uses the idea of Einstein's dreams to help him work

though a variety of theories and scenarios about time and its

effect on people. This unique depiction also reflects the

different approach that Einstein used to prove his theory:

rather than assume that experiments were failures of correct

theories he assumed the opposite—that the experiments were

correct and the theories were what failed. This innovation in

testing theories led to his discovery of relativity.

Einstein's Friend, the Swiss

Engineer Michele Besso

While Albert Einstein's name is instantly recognizable to most

readers, his friend, Michele Besso—named in the Interludes—is

not, though he was just as real. Michele Besso, a Swiss

engineer, was Einstein's longtime friend, and the two

maintained a correspondence for more than 50 years. Einstein

confided in his friend about everything from his personal

relationships to his theories about time. Besso was born in

Switzerland in 1873, and he met Einstein during a musical

performance at a mutual friend's house. Einstein eventually

introduced Besso to the woman he would marry, Anna, who is

also featured in Einstein's Dreams. When Besso died at age 81,

Einstein wrote a letter to his family that read, "Now he has

departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That

means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know

that the distinction between past, present and future is only a

stubbornly persistent illusion." His words reveal how closely

linked to Besso he felt, both as a friend, a philosopher, and a

scientist. Einstein passed away a month after Besso's death.

Lightman uses the character of Michele Besso to offer a

different lens through which the reader can understand

Einstein in his waking life. Other than Einstein's dreams, the

reader is never given a glimpse into the working of Einstein's

mind. In the Interlude sections featuring Besso, he tries to

puzzle out what Einstein is thinking and how he is feeling.

Lightman also shows Besso to be a human anchor for Einstein,

keeping him tethered to the real world containing his wife and

family.

a Author BiographyAlan Lightman was born on November 28, 1948, in Memphis,

Tennessee. As a child, he was deeply fascinated by both

science and art, designing his own science projects and writing

his own poetry, both of which earned him numerous awards as

a young student.

He attended Princeton University, where he earned a degree in

physics in 1970. He went on to earn an advanced degree in

theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology

in 1974 and began teaching at Harvard University and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He continued to

publish poetry and became the first professor at MIT to teach

in both the sciences and the humanities. In the field of

astrophysics, Lightman made significant contributions on the

subject of black holes, as well as the behavior of matter and

radiation.

Lightman's scientific studies contributed greatly to his first

novel, Einstein's Dreams, since his complex understanding of

gravitational theory allowed him to intimately understand

Einstein's theory of time. His creative background helped him

write about Einstein's theories from a unique point of view,

melding details of Einstein's life with speculation about his

thought process. Lightman was struck by the notion that few

of his colleagues anticipated Einstein's scientific successes

while he was still working as a patent office clerk in the early

1900s, when the novel takes place. These unlikely origins

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Characters 3


inspired Lightman to imagine how Einstein's theories of time

began to take hold inside his mind. The book became an

international best seller and went on to become translated in

more than 30 languages.

In 2003 Lightman founded the nonprofit Harpswell Foundation

to support emerging female leaders in Cambodia. He has also

published numerous other fiction, essays, fables, and scientific

tracts, along with a memoir. Some of Lightman's other notable

titles are The Accidental Universe and A Sense of the

Mysterious.

h Characters

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein is introduced at the beginning of the novel as a

weary patent clerk working nonstop on his scientific theory of

time. Although the reader only catches glimpses of him in the

novel's Interludes, his dreams reveal he is as imaginative as he

is scientifically brilliant. In the Interludes his good friend

Michele Besso depicts him as quiet, aloof, and distracted,

though deeply caring and devoted. The character of Albert

Einstein in Einstein's Dreams is based on the real physicist, but

the reader is aware that this is a fictional envisioning of him.

The author uses him as an inspiration to imagine the ways in

which dreams and science might intersect to create new

innovations.

Michele Besso

The author reveals Michele Besso only throughout the novel's

brief Interludes, which are narrated from his perspective. His

worries about his good friend Albert Einstein show Besso to be

a caring, engaged friend who is also a good husband to his

wife. Michele Besso is based on the real-life close friend of

Albert Einstein by the same name. The real Michele Besso also

acted as a sounding board and confidant for Albert Einstein,

and in the novel he functions as a separate lens through which

to view the fictional Einstein in his waking world.

Dream Figures

The Dream Figures are featured throughout the novel's dream

vignettes. Purposely left nameless, they stand for humanity as

a whole and depict the different ways in which people relate to

time. Their relationships, sorrows, hopes, and fears figure

heavily in each vignette, showing the common human

experience. Rather than follow each character through a

beginning, middle, and end of a complete story, the reader is

meant to view the Dream Figures as a collective. Even though

they are nameless and appear and reappear randomly,

Lighman makes it easy for the reader to identify with their

hopes and fears regarding the ways in which time impacts their

lives. They provide the human connection and identification

that is necessary to humanize Einstein's abstract and scientific

concepts of time.

Anna Besso

Anna Besso seems to be happily married to Michele, although

the couple appears to be childless. She enjoys cooking dinner

for Albert and Michele, and the domestic scene is peaceful and

harmonious. The real Michele Besso's wife's name was actually

Anna.

Mileva Einstein

Mileva Einstein does not appear to be very happily married,

and Einstein refers more than once to what seems like a

dysfunctional marriage. He prefers to avoid Mileva, preferring

the company of the Bessos, for example—to the point where

Mileva comes to their home with their infant son to get Einstein

to return to his own home.

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Characters 4


Character Map

Friends

Inhabit Albert Einstein's dreams

Spouses

Albert EinsteinYoung, dreamy scientist;

developing a theory of time

Michele Besso Loyal and concerned man

Dream Figures Nameless characters

Mileva EinsteinIgnored and neglected

woman

Anna BessoKind and friendly woman

Spouses

Main Character

Other Major Character

Minor Character

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Plot Summary 5


Full Character List

Character Description

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein is the novel'sprotagonist, a young scientist andpatent clerk who dreams aboutdifferent theories of time.

Michele BessoConcerned, thoughtful, Michele Bessois deeply intrigued by his good friendAlbert Einstein.

Dream Figures

The Dream Figures are the namelesspeople who inhabit Einstein's dreamworlds, which depict different theoriesof time.

Anna Besso Anna Besso is Michele Besso's loyal,friendly wife.

Mileva Einstein Mileva Einstein is Albert's often ignoredyoung wife.

k Plot SummaryEinstein's Dreams features the fictional dreams of the real-life

scientist Albert Einstein during the year he developed his

theory of time. The Prologue introduces him as a young man

who works in a patent office; he is asleep at his desk before

dawn, having stayed up most of the night working. From here

the novel becomes a series of dream vignettes, each from a

different day that spans from April 14, 1905, to June 28, 1905.

Each dream world presents a different, unique concept of time,

and each world is inhabited by nameless Dream Figures whose

lives are depicted as they cope with the structures and limits of

time.

Although the setting and structure of time vary from dream to

dream, the characters and depictions of life grow recognizable

and familiar. Even though time can flow backward, or loop in a

circle, or become stuck, the characters are held together

through their common quest for meaning, connection, and a

sense of control over their fate. Paradoxes abound, as do the

differing, opposing ways the Dream Figures of each world

choose to deal with time. Lightman takes great care to show

humanity's connection to time and how it affects their

relationships with other people as well as their relationships

with the past, present, and future. Some recurring motifs and

themes emerge in Einstein's dreams: people trying to

manipulate time in ways that only make them unhappy; people

trying to understand the limitations of free will; and people

trying to become unstuck from their past memories. Through

these dreams Lightman shows the common threads of

humanity's anxieties, hopes, and fears.

Interludes interspersed throughout the novel, like the dream

vignettes, don't adhere to any kind of chronological

consistency. The Interludes provide the only glimpses of Albert

Einstein other than those provided in the Prologue and

Epilogue, and they appear primarily through the lens of

Einstein's good friend Michele Besso. Besso depicts Einstein

as brilliant, distracted, and aloof, but the two share an

emotional bond. Besso also shows Einstein as rather

disconnected from his wife and family, wondering why Einstein

got married in the first place. Despite their closeness Einstein

hesitates to reveal his dreams to Besso, though he reveals his

work on time is an effort to become closer to God.

The novel's Epilogue finds Einstein on the same morning as the

Prologue, still in his patent office, exhausted but ready to have

a secretary type up his theory of time. Yet rather than feeling

pleased or fulfilled by his completed work, Einstein feels empty

and vaguely dissatisfied. It seems his work has brought him no

closer to God. Einstein's brilliant and vivid dreams have

influenced his scientific work only subconsciously—though

clearly powerfully.



Plot Diagram

Climax

Falling ActionRising Action

IntroductionResolution

21

3

4

6

7

5

Introduction

1. Albert Einstein dreams about time in different worlds.

Rising Action

2. Einstein and Michele Besso discuss Einstein's theories.

3. Einstein's time dreams grow theoretical and complicated.

4. Besso begins to worry about Einstein's health.

Climax

5. Einstein's dreams continue.

Falling Action

6. Besso and Einstein go fishing.

Resolution

7. Einstein finishes his theory of time at his patent office.



Timeline of Events

Mid-April 1905

Albert Einstein dreams of time as a circle.

Late April 1905

Einstein dreams of a world with no cause and effect.

Early May 1905

Einstein and Michele Besso go for a walk and discuss

time.

Mid-May 1905

Einstein dreams of a world in which there is no time.

Late May 1905

Einstein dreams of a world in which everything is in

motion.

Early June 1905

Einstein and Besso sit at a café and discuss Einstein's

progress.

Mid-June 1905

Einstein dreams of a world in which time is a dimension.

Mid-June 1905

Einstein and Besso go fishing.

Late June 1905

Einstein dreams of a world in which birds are time.

Late June 1905

Einstein finishes his theory of time.

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Chapter Summaries 8


c Chapter Summaries

Prologue

Summary

In the distance a clock tower chimes six times as dawn breaks,

while a young patent clerk sits at his desk, exhausted. The

clerk has been dreaming about time for months, and these

dreams have influenced his research. Now he holds a stack of

papers containing his new theory of time. The city wakes up

around him, and as the light filters through the windows,

objects in his office begin to take shape.

Analysis

The Prologue introduces the young Albert Einstein, who in real

life won the Nobel Prize for Physics based on his theories of

time and space. Here Einstein is years away from winning the

prize; he is still working on his theories. The Prologue also sets

the stage for Einstein's dreams, which will be integral to the

majority of the novel. The only other glimpses of Einstein's daily

life come from the Interludes, which offer memories from his

past. The Prologue also introduces the setting for many of

Einstein's dreams: Berne, Switzerland.

14 April 1905

Summary

The narration from the Prologue shifts from the waking world

to the world of Einstein's dreams in this first vignette. This

unnamed narrator of Einstein's dreams invites the reader to

"suppose time is a circle, bending back on itself," which means

the world repeats itself endlessly. People never realize their

lives are an infinite loop: they have lived each moment before,

so no moment is temporary. The narrator zooms in on Dream

Figure, a woman who is watching her husband die of cancer,

unaware she and he will experience their life together all over

again. And yet just as everyone will live their lives all over again,

so have they lived their lives millions of times previously. A few

suspect their decisions have already been made, and they are

made chronically unhappy by this feeling they can't shake.

Analysis

The shift from the Prologue's setting to the worlds and "Dream

Figures" Einstein conjures in his sleep signals the narration has

shifted from observing the waking world to showing the inner

workings of Einstein's mind as he develops his theory of time.

The narrator purposely refrains from assigning the Dream

Figures names so they come to stand for all humanity's hopes,

fears, and anxieties about time. The nameless woman who is

introduced is one of these Dream Figures, and she also serves

as an example of the principle of endless repetition. This first

dream introduces the reader to the concepts and theories of

time Einstein will explore in his dreams. In this world time is an

infinite loop in which everything will be repeated cyclically. As a

consequence, nothing ever can be changed. This introduces

the theme of free will in people's lives—the past will always

return to the present at some point, so time is unalterable.

Most people are blissfully unaware of this; they believe their

actions in the present will have an impact on their future.

Others, however, believe the course of their lives has already

been decided, leaving them with a sense of futility. The Dream

Figure of the woman in this vignette symbolizes this dual sense

of home and futility—she is spared from knowing that she will

watch her husband die of cancer again, but neither does she

get to experience the hope that they will live their lives

together again.

16 April 1905

Summary

In this vignette a pattern begins to emerge: each night's dream

starts with a narration or principle of time that the dream will

show, which resembles a journal entry of the dream. In this

world time is "like a flow of water." It flows in one direction, but

it can be disturbed and carried to its past. People who have

experienced this transportation to the past move carefully to

avoid making changes that will affect their future. One such

person is crouched in the shadows of a building, careful not to

kick up any dust because it might make a Peter Klausen, a



passerby, pause; if he pauses he might not buy ointment for his

wife, which might prevent her from making a trip in which she

will have an indirect effect on Hans Klausen's birth. Hans

Klausen played a role in forming the European Union in 1979.

The woman crouched in the shadows knows the slightest

alteration to the past might destroy the future.

Analysis

Here Einstein's dream shows the ways in which humanity

attaches emotions to time. Fear permeates this world as the

Dream Figures worry about the consequences of his or her

decisions if they are carried back to their past. This reflects a

universal human anxiety about the future; everyone is

constantly aware of the ways in which their past affects their

future. The example of the past affecting the future birth of

Peter Klausen shows that the Dream Figures are aware that

their very existence hangs in the balance of the smallest

actions, decisions, or interference. The paradox in this dream

world is no one knows which slight move or change in the

present will affect the future, so those who are transported to

their past are careful not to alter even the tiniest thing. It is

unclear whether or not the Dream Figures in this world have

been transported to the past of their own accord, but they do

seem acutely aware of the potential consequences of their

actions in the past.

19 April 1905

Summary

Snow is falling while a man in a long leather coat stands on his

balcony overlooking the street below, contemplating whether

he should go visit a woman. He decides against it, since she is

manipulative and judgmental. A few years later he meets

another, nicer woman, and she comes to live with him. Their life

together is peaceful and loving.

In an alternate world the man decides to go see the first

woman. She persuades him to leave his job and move close to

her. Their life together is volatile and tempestuous, and he

feels anguished yet happy. In yet a third world the man also

decides to go and see the first woman. They have a polite

meeting and then he leaves, feeling empty. He returns home

and stands on his balcony, gazing down at the street below.

These three outcomes all happen simultaneously; in this world

time has three dimensions, as space does. Just as objects can

move in three different directions, so can people's futures.

Each future moves in a different direction of time and then

splits into three more possible futures—leading to an infinite

number of futures.

Analysis

This dream world continues to explore the concept of free will.

Here there are infinite outcomes for each action, based on the

theory time has three dimensions. Lightman also introduces

the paradox of how humanity responds to the knowledge of

limitless free will. Some believe choice is inherently

meaningless; others give each choice great weight and

consideration because each consequence is real. Individuals

experience time differently based on their unique nature and

personal history.

24 April 1905

Summary

In this world there are two times: mechanical and body.

Mechanical time is rigid and predetermined, like a swinging

pendulum; body time squirms and is unfixed. Many don't

believe mechanical time exists: they don't see clocks or

understand the time reflected on their watches. Instead they

keep time by their heartbeats, moods, and desires. Body time

speeds up or slows down according to what people

experience: bad things slow time down; good things speed it

up.

However, some live by mechanical time alone. These people

keep a rigid, set schedule. They think of the body as a

"collection of chemicals, tissues, and nerve impulses"; it is a

machine governed by the same rules as a clock. Although both

kinds of time are true, their "truths are not the same."



Analysis

In this dream world Lightman continues the investigation of

time as subjective, even when it has its own "rules." Those who

believe in mechanical time lead a rigid existence; those who

perceive body time instead "listen to their heartbeats ... they

feel the rhythms of their moods and desires." In contrast to

mechanical time, body time defies quantification. Here

Lightman shows the concept of the divided self, at war

between head and heart when it comes to making rational

decisions. For those experiencing either kind of time, the

experience feels true but the outcomes differ: "each time is

true, but the truths are not the same." For those who perceive

mechanical time, even though their time is true its truths are in

a different realm of perception than body time. Neither group

can understand the other's way of perceiving time, and here

Lightman points out how important the perception of time as

true is to people, and how different it can feel at the same time.

26 April 1905

Summary

In this world everyone lives in the mountains; there are no

houses in the valleys or plains. Scientists have discovered time

moves more slowly—but only by a few seconds—the farther

time is from the center of Earth. Thus people believe moving to

the mountains will slow the aging process. Some build their

houses on tall stilts; the height of their stilts is a status symbol

that reveals how much closer they are to living longer than the

people below them. Others stop caring whether they will age a

few seconds slower or faster, and they spend more time in the

valleys below. Eventually people begin to forget why living at

higher altitudes is better, but they continue to live in the

mountains anyway, convinced the air is superior. They eat only

the lightest, airiest foods as well; this causes them to grow

bony and old before their time.

Analysis

In this dream world Lightman continues investigating the

theme of paradoxes and the subjective nature of time. He also

connects the way people perceive time to their personal

happiness. People's sense of time dictates the way they make

decisions and plan for the future. Because they believe living at

a higher altitude buys them a few more seconds of time,

people arrange their lives to maximize those seconds. This

demonstrates time as perhaps humans' most precious

commodity. Yet people's obsession with gaining time costs

them contentment and even youthfulness. An obsession with

gaining time comes at a steep cost.

28 April 1905

Summary

Time is a visible reminder everywhere in this world, from clock

towers to wristwatches. These objects neatly divide time into

increments, but beyond them is "a vast scaffold of time" where

all time is equal and absolute. In the town of Berne people

convene every afternoon to pay tribute to time and set their

watches by the tolling of the clock tower chimes. Those who

are religious see time as evidence God exists; time is so

perfect and precise it must be divine. For these people time is

a way to judge actions. This idea of time as an absolute also

provides consolation: people can be unpredictable, but time

never is. In this way time can become a refuge from

uncertainty.

Analysis

In this dream world Lightman continues to investigate how a

rigid concern with time affects people's happiness and

comfort. Here people feel reassured by the stability and

prescriptions of time—it offers rules and guidelines about the

past, present, and future. The narrator points out, "while the

movements of people are unpredictable, the movement of time

is predictable." This means people can find a sense of safety

and certainty in time, something absent from personal

relationships. People are mercurial, changing, and fickle; time

remains constant and assured.

3 May 1905



Summary

In a world where cause and effect are erratic, cause may come

before effect, or the two may be deeply intertwined and

impossible to tell apart. A man's friends begin to ignore him,

and he can't understand why. A week later he begins acting

horribly to everyone. Meanwhile, in the city of Zurich the

Council begins approving strict laws, searching visitors and

auditing banks. Soon after crime skyrockets. A Dream

Figure—a young woman—visits a flower garden and begins to

feel overwhelmingly happy and anxious for no reason. A few

days later she meets a man and falls in love. In all these

situations, what was the cause and what was the effect?

In this world of blurry relationships between cause and effect,

scientists become useless since they can no longer make

predictions. They can find no logic; either they are irrational or

the universe is irrational. On the other hand artists thrive in this

world, since they pride themselves on unpredictability in their

work. Most people live "in the moment" since dwelling in the

past will provide little insight about the present or future.

Everyone is judged as they are in the present, not for their past

or potential future selves. As a result people behave more

impulsively and honestly.

Analysis

This dream world provides the counterpoint to the previous

dream world of 28 April 1905, in which time was reassuring,

stable, and constant. In this world cause and effect have no

discernable, reliable relationship; time is chaotic and

undependable. The relationship between past and present or

future is essentially unknowable. Lightman offers another

paradox in people's subjective relationship to time: those who

thrive in this world are artists, because their work thrives on

unpredictability. Scientists, on the other hand, are useless and

helpless since they can't make accurate predictions based on

hypotheses. This dream world poses the question of how and

when events, actions, and outcomes become linked.

4 May 1905

Summary

Two couples sit at their usual table one evening in the dining

room of a hotel where they vacation together here every June.

They discuss the weather and horse racing and eat their

dinners. Not much new has happened since they met the

previous year, and such is the case for people in general; even

though time passes not much happens. Thus time seems

barely to move at all, since time is linked to events beginning

and ending. Either time is hardly moving or people themselves

are hardly moving.

Analysis

This dream world shows how time relates to humans'

perception of change. The effect of slow-moving time on the

two vacationing couples highlights the way time's structure

shapes their resistance to change because this glacial time is

the only kind of time they have ever known. People's

experience of time shapes their feelings about time, as well as

their own sense of free will.

Interlude

Summary

Although the Interludes are not given dates in the same

manner as Einstein's dreams, they do follow a narrative

progression through time. In this first Interlude Einstein and

Besso walk together one afternoon, discussing time. Einstein

explains his interest in time but does not tell Besso about his

dreams. At Besso's house, Einstein says he wants to

understand time "to get close to The Old One." Besso points

out The Old One (meaning God) may not be interested in his

own creations, even if they are intelligent. But Besso has a

great deal of respect and admiration for Einstein, who has

become a PhD and has written prestigious papers. The two

friends have known each other since college. Besso tells

Einstein his brother is coming to visit so they won't see much

of each other for a while. Besso worries Einstein will miss his

company and their talks, but Einstein reassures him he will be

fine.



Analysis

The first Interlude introduces Einstein through the lens of

Besso, his good friend. Besso sees Einstein as dreamy and

preoccupied, immersed in his own thoughts. Although Besso

and Einstein are close in many ways, Einstein's advanced

intelligence keeps a certain distance between them. This

Interlude also introduces Einstein's understanding of God's

connection to his scientific work; Einstein says he conducts his

research to be closer to God. Einstein believes that by

understanding time on a deep scientific level he will be able to

understand God's designs and intentions for humanity. For

Einstein it seems as though both the scientific and

philosophical understanding of time are linked to God, though

it is unclear whether he believes that God designs time.

8 May 1905

Summary

In this dream world the end is nigh: the exact date, known to

all, is September 26, 1907. A year before the world ends

schools close, since there is little point in investing in the

future. A month before the world ends businesses close since

people won't be needing things much longer. Everyone feels

strangely liberated—a mother and daughter plan a

spontaneous last-minute trip together. No one seems

distraught over the impending end since everyone will

experience it at the same time. In fact the day before the world

ends people are lighthearted; they laugh, greet their neighbors,

and swim in fountains. Some try to correct past mistakes by

making amends. The minute before the world ends, everyone

gathers in a circle to hold hands; no one speaks as the end

approaches.

Analysis

This dream world continues to investigate the themes of free

will and consequence. In this world there will be no future

consequences for people's actions because there will be no

future. This bolsters everyone's sense of free will since it

detaches their decisions from consequences. The decisions of

the Dream Figures in this world show the ways in which this

prior knowledge affects their present—they close schools and

businesses and find a lightheartedness in knowing their days

are numbered. Here, there is no "tomorrow"; everyone enjoys

their present to the fullest. People's relationships with

themselves and one another take on a different structure as

well. The fact that they are silent in the final moment suggests

a sense of peace and resignation at their fate rather than

struggle or anxiety.

10 May 1905

Summary

In this world a town is composed of many pieces. One

neighborhood lives in the 15th century; another lives in the 18th

century; yet another lives in the present. Each piece of the

town is "fastened to a different time." The texture of time can

be smooth or rough, hard or soft. But in this world the texture

of time is sticky, so pieces of the town become stuck in a

moment in history. People also can get stuck at some point in

their lives. But the tragedy of this world is no one is happy,

even if the moment they are stuck in is one of joy, because

everyone around them has moved ahead in time. Everyone who

is stuck is alone because the past can't be shared with the

present.

Analysis

Throughout the novel Lightman investigates people's sense of

becoming stuck in time. In this dream world people become

stuck in a literal sense; this illuminates the metaphorical ways

in which people become trapped by their memories and past

actions, choosing to "live" there even in their present lives. This

shows yet again that people's sense of time is subjective and

can shape their perceptions about reality as well as their

actions. Feeling time's influence can also shape people's

emotional reactions; in this world people become unhappy

when they feel stuck in their past because they feel alone.

Here Lightman points out the importance of shared

experiences in humanity, and suggests that this sense of being

understood is integral to one's well-being.



11 May 1905

Summary

Everything in this world is organized, aligned, and tidy. Broken

things repair themselves, and even falling leaves arrange

themselves into neat lines. Passing time only brings more order

to this world. The Dream Figures don't need to clean or garden

or organize on their own since the world will take care of it for

them. They inevitably grow weary of all this order in their lives;

in the spring they attempt to make things more disorganized by

breaking windows and smashing furniture. But by summer

people come back to their senses and stop fighting against

order.

Analysis

Here Lightman continues to show how the perception of time

can affect people's emotions. People feel constricted by the

structure and order time brings, and this seems to limit their

sense of free will. The narrator observes that "people with

untidy houses lie in their beds and wait for the forces of nature

to jostle the dust from their windowsills." They seem to feel no

sense of agency in their own lives, which leads to a feeling of

inertia and helplessness. They eventually rebel against the idea

that "the future is pattern, organization, union, intensification."

Yet order will always win out since this is the rule of time. This

world demonstrates free will is, in a sense, an illusion, since

people will always be governed by the rules of time they live in.

Rebellion is futile, though acceptance doesn't seem to lead to

happiness.

14 May 1905

Summary

In this world time stands still. Raindrops stay suspended in the

air, and people pause midmotion. If a traveler approaches this

world they will begin to move more and more slowly until they

stop at the center. Two kinds of travelers are drawn to this

frozen world: lovers and parents. Here lovers' feelings will

never fade, and children will never grow older. People can

move if they are not at the world's center, but they move "at

the pace of glaciers." Some say it is best to avoid the center of

time since without the passage of time people can't truly live

their lives. But some would rather have "an eternity of

contentment," even if it is frozen.

Analysis

Time's structure in this dream world is linked to people's

emotions and relationships. People in this dream world are

similar to those in 26 April 1905 who live at higher altitudes in

order to gain a few precious seconds of time. Here people

attempt to "cheat" time by moving closer to its "center," where

it slows down. By doing so they hope to freeze moments of

happiness in relationships. But although time slows down, their

sense of time does not. In fact, when people leave the center

of time, they find they've lost relationships and the sense of

having lived their lives. Here Lightman brings the motif of

consequence into play yet again, showing the Dream Figures

contending with this "frozen time" paradox.

15 May 1905

Summary

In this world, there is no time; there are only frozen images that

exist outside of time like still photographs. Since time doesn't

pass, the narrator doesn't present any stories of series of

events, but merely recites a litany of images involving people

and the world. None of these moments can be connected

through time, so they are presented as individual snapshots

independent of each other.

Analysis

Within the larger context of the dreams presented in the novel,

this dream world stands apart, since it doesn't deal with the

consequences of time, or its effect on humanity. The narrator

invites the reader to imagine inhabiting a world in which time

doesn't exist, and to consider how one might translate or

understand images without the context of time. Without this

context, it's impossible to know whether the images that are

being presented are meaningless or significant, since the



human mind attaches memory and time to images—an image

from the past, perhaps, or one that imagines the future.

Humans use time in order to make sense of the world,

including their memories and the images they see around

them. To the reader, the images that are presented in this

vignette merely seem like a list of disconnected things.

20 May 1905

Summary

In this world people have no memories. Shoppers walk among

crowded booths at a market, seemingly unable to remember

where to find items they bought yesterday. They consult maps

to navigate the city they already live in, for they have no

memories. At the end of their days they must look up their

addresses so they can return home. Their families are

strangers to them. To gain access to the past, people must

consult books or documents; to know themselves people carry

a Book of Life containing their personal history. Without it they

are ghosts. Over time each person's Book of Life grows too

large to read from start to finish. Some choose to read only the

beginning, which makes them feel young; some read the end to

understand who they have become. Some give up reading their

Books altogether and abandon the past.

Analysis

In this dream world Lightman once again links the perception

of time to people's emotions. People in this world don't have an

understanding of the past, and this largely makes them happy

because to live in the present is to constantly notice its

newness. People stay in love and marvel at the lives they have

created. Those who stop reading the Book of Life and leave

the past alone seem to be happier than those who obsessively

read about their past. It's healthier and more freeing to be

unchained from the past.

22 May 1905

Summary

It is dawn in a city full of strange sights: a half-finished old

bridge, a house with no foundation. This is a world of changed

plans, where time flows in fits and starts and people can

glimpse the future briefly. This makes it difficult for people to

live as usual in the present; being able to glimpse and

anticipate the future alters their choices. Those who haven't

glimpsed their future "sleep most of the day and wait for their

vision to come." This also means people don't take many risks,

yet some do whatever they can to defy their future: fall in love

with a different person, take a different job. But inevitably they

catch up to their futures.

Analysis

This dream world deals with the consequences of the future

rather than the past. Because people can glimpse their futures,

in their present they are constantly reminded of the

consequences of their actions. Lightman presents a paradox:

either knowing or not knowing the future has repercussions.

Those who don't know the future feel uncertain about the

choices they make in the present, leading them to inertia. Yet

knowing the future also robs people of their sense of free will,

since they are unable to make any decisions in the present

without feeling the ghost of its future consequence. This leads

to a state of paralysis; people take few risks in their lives,

causing the narrator to wonder "what sense is there in

continuing the present when one has seen the future?" People

have lost all sense of discovery and risk, which the narrator

presents in a litany of Dream Figures who make decisions

based on seeing their own future.

29 May 1905

Summary

In this world everything is in motion. Houses and buildings are

mounted on wheels and race through the streets. People

chase after their office buildings in the morning, and move

about all day. No one is ever still for long. Things move around

quickly because in this world time passes more slowly for

people in constant motion. By moving around often one is able



to gain time.

People only discovered this strange connection between

speed and time after the invention of rapid transportation.

Businesses move about constantly in order to gain an

advantage over their competitors, and houses are also sold

based on how fast they move. But people avoid looking at how

fast their neighbors are also moving, since the effect of all their

collective motion is relative.

Analysis

This dream world echoes the dream world of 26 April 1905 and

14 May 1905 where people attempt to manipulate time to take

advantage of it. Yet just as in those worlds, the manipulation

seems futile, with little being gained by individuals. Because

people in this dream world perceive that being in motion "buys"

them time, they must constantly be in motion. But this constant

motion has the strange effect of isolating people from one

another and causes them to grow resentful. Lightman again

shows attempts to manipulate time only lead to unhappiness.

Interlude 2

Summary

Einstein and Besso sit together at a café, getting some air.

Besso worries Einstein doesn't look so good—he suspects he

is not eating enough, but Einstein tells him he is making

progress. Besso recalls a time when he himself looked just as

bad—it was after his own father passed away. At the time

Einstein had taken care of Besso for a month as he grieved his

father's death. But Besso suspects this time Einstein doesn't

need his help because Einstein is "oblivious of his body and the

world." Besso invites Einstein to dinner with his wife next week,

and Einstein agrees distractedly. Besso wonders why Einstein

got married in the first place, something Einstein can't explain

either.

Analysis

This Interlude offers another glimpse into Einstein and Besso's

friendship, and further reveals the dynamic: Besso always

worries over Einstein's health and well-being. It also provides

some back story on their friendship: Einstein cared for a grief-

stricken Besso after his father passed away. Since Besso is

the clearest lens through which the reader views Einstein in his

waking life, it's notable the narrator chooses to reveal the toll

Einstein's work has taken on him mentally and physically. The

contrast between Besso and Einstein is significant, showing

one man who is very much tethered to his family and life while

the other is "oblivious of his body and the world." Besso's

revelation that Einstein may not be suited for marriage reveals

Einstein as preoccupied only with himself and his research,

causing his personal relationships to suffer.

2 June 1905

Summary

In this world time flows backward. Fruit turns from rotten to

ripe, and people age in reverse, living their lives backward until

infancy. Einstein himself ages in reverse, from receiving the

Nobel Prize for Physics to his first discoveries. Another man

stands over the grave of his friend but doesn't grieve, for he

knows his friend soon will be alive and laughing

Analysis

This dream world echoes the world of 3 May 1905, in which

cause and effect don't have a clearly defined relationship.

Because time flows backward in this dream world, it becomes

difficult to know what is the cause and what is the effect—they

flow in reverse. This also connects to the dream world of 11

May 1905, in which the future grows increasingly orderly. As

time flows backward in this dream world, things and people

become newer and younger, the opposite of death and decay.

Things feel less chaotic.

3 June 1905

Summary

In this world people live only for one day. The rhythms of their

bodies speed up, compressing their life. Or, possibly Earth's



rotation slows down so much that one day spans an entire

human lifetime. Either way people only live to see one sunrise

and one sunset. This also means people born in one season

never witness a different season. People also spend half of

their lives in the darkness of night and half in the light of day.

Time is precious in this world, and so people hurry in order to

not waste it.

Analysis

This dream world shows the effect of time's structure on

individual lives. It hardly matters whether people only live for

one day because their bodies age quickly or if one day is so

slow it spans what would feel like decades in a world with

"normal" time. People's lives are fundamentally shaped by

knowing only one season, one sunrise, and one sunset, their

lives a stark contrast of lightness and darkness. Expanding on

the motif of consequences, Lightman attempts to show how

this time structure encourages people to see time as a

precious commodity that shouldn't be wasted. They make

decisions quickly so they can live to see the effects.

5 June 1905

Summary

From a distance this world seems common: rivers flow,

shopkeepers hawk their wares, couples smile and argue. But

seen through the eyes of any one person this world looks quite

different. One woman sees a passing boat speeding by, while

another woman sees the same boat as moving impossibly

slow. Yet a different man sees the boat as passing one way

and then backward. In this world time is a sense, like sight or

taste. This means any series of moments can seem quick or

slow, salty or sweet, light or dark. Philosophers question

whether time even exists outside human perception.

Analysis

This dream world demonstrates the importance of time as

individuals perceive it. Time is a quality rather than a quantity,

and "some few people are born without any sense of time."

Since in this world time is a unique, individual perception, it

cannot be shared with anyone else. Because there are so

many discrepancies no one experiences time in the same

sensory way. As a consequence it is difficult to share

experiences, so people feel more isolated. In various dream

worlds people use time as a communal experience to share

with each other, a quality fundamental to the happiness of

humanity.

9 June 1905

Summary

In this world people can live forever. This means the population

of each place is divided into "the Laters and the Nows." Laters

don't see any sense of urgency or hurry to do much—go to

college, get promotions, fall in love. Time is infinite, so why

rush? Everything can be accomplished eventually. To act too

hastily would be to risk making a mistake. The Nows, on the

other hand, believe they must do all they can with their sense

of an infinite life. They constantly change careers and lovers,

and never slow down. But the two kinds have one thing in

common: an infinite list of relatives. Nobody ever dies. And in

this way no one is ever free. Some yearn for death so they

might feel what it is to live.

Analysis

This dream world is the counterpoint to the dream world from

3 June 1905, in which people only live for a day. In this world

people live forever, and so there is no deadline by which they

need to "complete" their lives. Oddly this doesn't much change

people's behavior in their own lives, though it does create

another paradox symbolized by "the Laters and the Nows": to

slow down and savor infinity or to accomplish as much as you

can with your limitless days? The narrator notes few things are

actually ever finished due to the infinite nature of people

asking their ancestors for advice, and "such is the cost of

immortality." In each of these dream worlds Lightman aims to

show the consequences of living in its time structure, and here

also shows the two opposing ways it can be dealt with. It

seems ironic some would yearn for death, but implicit in this is

the human need for boundaries and endings—to live forever

does not mean one is free.



10 June 1905

Summary

In this world time is measured in quality rather than quantity. A

woman waits for a man to meet her to take her to the

gardens—she's not sure when he will come, but she knows it

will be soon. She passes the time waiting reading a book. The

next day he arrives. It's unclear to them after a bit whether they

have been together for a lifetime or only a few moments. The

man's mother watches them dine in a restaurant, upset

because she is convinced he is still a child who belongs at

home with her. In this world where time can't be measured,

there are no clocks or calendars or keeping of appointments.

Time is kept rather by the color of the sky, or the feelings

people feel. Anyone who attempts to quantify time is turned to

stone.

Analysis

This dream world echoes the dream world of 5 June 1905 in

which time is a quality rather than a quantity. The narrator

notes, "time exists, but it cannot be measured," since quality is

subjective rather than objective. No one can say two moods

are exactly the same or two sets of eyes perceive the same

colors of the sunset. Yet as in the other dream world, this

experience sets people apart. Their shared experience of time

is isolating, and those who attempt to quantify it are punished.

In that light this dream differs by offering punishment to those

rebelling against the subjective nature of time. It's the human

condition to want to share experiences, but when people

cannot agree on the nature of their experiences they only feel

more separate.

11 June 1905

Summary

In this world there is no future. Even though on the surface it

appears to be like daily life, upon closer examination people

are reluctant to part ways, and loneliness is permanent. Time

ends in the present moment, and imagining the future is

impossible. Therefore, each parting of ways feels like a death,

and each person's loneliness feels infinite. As a consequence

people cling to the present and don't understand the results of

their actions. Some of them don't act at all; they simply lie in

bed all day. Others don't care if their lives lead to no future;

they choose to live their present to the fullest. Others become

obsessed with the past.

Analysis

This dream world emphasizes the way in which time's structure

influences how people live their lives. Since there is no future,

people are forced to live in the present. Yet rather than liberate

people from the potential consequences of their actions, it

causes them to "cling to the present as if hanging from a cliff."

Each ending or parting of ways feels permanent, as do moods

and emotions. Here Lightman points out a paradox: even

though people are free from dealing with future consequences,

they are trapped by the present and can find little meaning in

symbols and causes they are presented with. Without a sense

of a future ahead of them, nothing in their present seems to

have any value.

15 June 1905

Summary

In this world time is a visible dimension. In addition to seeing

houses, trees, and mountains in the distance, people can also

see birth, marriages, deaths, and other markers of time. People

can choose their own motions along this axis of time. Some

choose to stay in their current moment in time; others leap into

the future.

Analysis

This dream world again examines the notion of becoming

stuck in time. Here Lightman shows how emotional and

psychological states attach themselves naturally to certain

structures of time. Free will is another theme in this dream

world; people have the agency to either stay stuck or to move

ahead into the future. Some of the Dream Figures feel the

effects of these choices; they become wary of moving into the



future or of rushing out of the past. Lightman illustrates how

fear motivates people's relationship with time and affects their

decisions, as evidenced by the young man who shudders at the

thought of stepping into the future because he is enjoying the

present moment with his mentor.

17 June 1905

Summary

In this world time stops and starts. When it stops the world and

everything in it freezes. But only a microsecond after the world

stops, it starts again. The world and its people continue on as

though nothing has happened. These disconnections are so

small no one can detect them, as evidenced by the boy and girl

who break up after sensing something "off." Nonetheless they

prevent time from being continuous.

Analysis

In this dream world fear again plays a role in people's

relationship with time. A young man falls in love with a woman,

but he fears rejection because of previous heartbreak. He is

too afraid to ask the woman about her feelings toward him;

unaware of his fear she tries to share her feelings through her

actions. Yet because time stops and starts imperceptibly in

this world, she hesitates momentarily. The young man picks up

on this hesitation and takes it for a lack of interest; he then

rejects her. Here again Lightman shows time's enormous

effect on human experience and illuminates the ways it links to

individual perception.

Interlude 3

Summary

Einstein and Besso sit together in a small fishing boat in the

river. Besso has never gone fishing with Einstein before, and he

feels slightly guilty about asking to join him since Einstein was

planning to go alone. Eventually Einstein gives up on the

fishing, and the two friends lie side by side looking at the sky.

Einstein asks Besso what he sees in the clouds; he has an

impulse to tell Besso about his dreams but he can't bring

himself to share them. Besso reassures Einstein he will

succeed with his theory of time.

Analysis

Einstein and Besso's friendship offers another glimpse into the

importance of relationships, as well as the fear and hesitation

that can grip people even in the midst of togetherness. Einstein

hesitates to tell Besso about his dreams; he seems to feel

Besso won't understand. Thus a chasm appears between the

two friends; each is confined to his own perception about the

friendship. Although both Einstein and Besso seem sensitive

and intuitive about one another's emotional states, neither

seems able to cross the divide. Although the Interludes take

place in "waking" life, there is a thread of loneliness that winds

through both Einstein's dreams and his conscious hours. The

Dream Figures in his dream worlds struggle with feeling

alienated and lonely much as he seem to feel even in the

presence of his closest friend.

18 June 1905

Summary

A line of 10,000 people stretches from a cathedral in Rome;

they are waiting to enter the Temple of Time. Many have

traveled a long distance to visit, and they seem oblivious to the

time passing as they wait. Watches and clocks are

forbidden—only the Great Clock in the Temple of Time keeps

track of time. Inside the Temple 12 pilgrims stand in a circle

surrounding the Great Clock; a huge pendulum swings

between them while the pilgrims chant each measured

increment of time. After an hour a new set of pilgrims takes

their place; this process repeats for centuries.

Before the Great Clock people kept time by the sun, stars, and

seasons, as well as heartbeats, sleep, hunger, and moods.

Then someone invented the first mechanical clock. People

were both impressed and horrified by it. The inventor of first

clock then built the Great Clock; after inventing it he was killed

and all other clocks were destroyed. Everyone knows they

must journey at some point to pay homage to the Great Clock,

which secretly angers them. They have been trapped by



humans' own invention.

Analysis

This is another dream world in which people attempt to take

advantage of time. People are astonished that someone

invented an object to quantify and measure time. Of course

time already existed before clocks were invented, but now

people perceive time in a new way. As in the other dream

worlds in which people try to manipulate time, the people in

this dream world ultimately feel trapped by their own invention,

yet they don't know how to live without it. This object they find

so magical is also unbearable because it counts down their

lives. The narrator notes, "every action, no matter how little, is

no longer free." Everything is now connected to time.

20 June 1905

Summary

In this world time changes according to location. If two clocks

are near each other, they pass the time at the same pace. But

clocks that are farther apart keep time differently—the farther

apart the greater the difference. Cities do not do business with

each other since they understand time differently. Each city

stands alone and must provide everything for itself. If people

leave their city of origin they never return; they must adjust to a

new city's time after being "cut off in time" from their former

city. Some are content to stay in their original city, but others

yearn for contact with people from the outside and eventually

leave.

Analysis

This dream world connects to other dream worlds in which

time keeps people separate from one another. Lightman

presents a paradox in which cities are kept apart because of

time differences; as a result they become diverse but isolated.

Each city is remarkably unique because cities can't influence

one another, but since most people don't leave their city they

never have the perspective to appreciate their own city's or

other cities' uniqueness. The narrator notes, "The abundances

caused by isolation are stifled by the same isolation." Here

Lightman shows people are rarely content to stay isolated;

they fundamentally yearn for connection and outside influence.

Yet in this world when they leave home they can never return,

which might eventually make them feel even more alone and

isolated.

22 June 1905

Summary

On graduation day 129 boys wait in the sun while their

headmaster calls each on stage one by one. Everyone seems

listless and uninspired. After graduation some attend university

while some travel or work. But all the boys take their paths

indifferently and mechanically because time in this world is

rigid rather than fluid, "fossilizing the future as well as the past."

Everything has been predetermined, and people's movements

are not their own. They cannot change their path; they can only

observe it. In this world there is no right or wrong, only a fixed

future, which implies there is no freedom of choice.

Analysis

This dream world shows perhaps shows most powerfully the

effect of free will, or lack thereof. In a predetermined world

such as this, people lose their sense of right and wrong; "right

and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action is

already chosen, there can be no freedom of choice." With this

dream world, Lightman also shows people prefer the illusion of

free will to keep their lives interesting. The Dream Figures in

this world are bored and merely going through the motions of

their predetermined lives, forced to become mere observers of

their actions rather than the agents.

25 June 1905

Summary

A man plays his violin in his room and gazes at the street

below; he notices a couple and thinks about his own wife and

son downstairs. Another man, identical to the first, does

exactly the same, as do a third, fourth, fifth, and infinite other



identical men. A passing hour is in fact many hours because

time bounces back and forth among the men. This creates an

infinite number of melodies and thoughts between them. The

first man can feel the others; he can feel them repeating his

melodies, thoughts, and motions. He begins to forget what he

was thinking about; his thoughts become diluted and weak.

Analysis

This dream world questions the nature of reality as it connects

to people's perception of time. The narrator says time is "like

the light between two mirrors," forever refracting and copying

itself. This brings up the philosophical question of which copy

is the original—even the first man begins to question which self

is his true self. When time doesn't flow in a linear way it

becomes diluted by itself, weakening its point of origin.

27 June 1905

Summary

Once a week a quarry worker brings stones from the quarry to

the masonry. While he is in the city he makes purchases, visits

the church, and sends letters. Even though people try to say

hello to him, he doesn't make eye contact or slow down to talk.

Some 40 years earlier he was embarrassed at school and

made fun of by his classmates; the memory continues to haunt

him after all this time. He is stuck in the past. The past is

constantly shifting, though; suddenly one day the man wakes

up and is no longer stuck. He is someone else now. All over the

city people are stuck in their own memories, which ultimately

blow away as though they never happened at all.

Analysis

This dream world echoes the dream world of 22 June 1905 in

that people's relationship to time is a matter of perception. This

dream world follows a man who is stuck in a moment from his

past, one he cannot control. The worker can become unstuck

simply by shifting his perceptions because perceptions are

deeply linked with a sense of time. The man's past doesn't

necessarily influence his present or future; it's merely his

perception of the past that colors his life—his belief that

everyone defines him by one embarrassing moment. This

illustrates how people's perception of time and the past can

dictate beliefs about their present.

28 June 1905

Summary

A grandmother scolds her son for eating too much at a picnic;

soon thereafter the son leaps up to run after a flock of birds

flying overhead. He is joined by others who have spotted the

birds. One woman attempts to catch one bird perched in a

tree, but it and the other birds are much too fast to catch. Each

man and woman wants a bird because the birds are time—time

that flutters and hops just ahead of them. By trapping a bird

they hope to trap time. Only children are fast enough to trap

the birds, but the children have no desire to stop time—they

think time moves too slowly. Elderly people wish they could

stop time for even a moment, but they are too old and slow to

trap a bird. The rare adult who can trap a bird savors the

moment of time but knows the bird will soon expire and time

will proceed.

Analysis

This final dream emphasizes yet again the futility of trying to

manipulate time; people invariably end up unhappy with the

results. People chase the birds to trap a fleeting moment, but

the moment will expire and die with the bird. Here Lightman

continues his cautionary tale: attempting to hold on to time or

slow it down only makes people forget to enjoy the present

moment. The birds are powerful symbols; they signify that time

is free and fast, not meant to be trapped but to fly unimpeded.

Lightman also presents one final paradox about how people

react to trapping moments: those with the most time left to live

can catch the birds most easily and thus trap moments at will

yet they have little interest in doing so; those at the end of their

lives would love to trap the birds and gain every moment

possible but they are too slow.

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Quotes 21


Epilogue

Summary

A clock tower in the distance strikes eight o'clock, and the

young clerk Einstein wakes up and walks to the window of his

office. The town outside is beginning to wake up too, and soon

a patent officer comes into the office and begins working. A

few minutes later the typist enters, and Einstein hands her his

theory of time to type up. He returns to the window, feeling

empty and uninterested in reviewing patents or talking to his

friend Besso or thinking about physics.

Analysis

The Epilogue brings the reader full circle, back to the office

setting of the Prologue and back to Einstein as he wakes up

from his final dream, having finally completed his theory of

time. Whereas the world was quiet and still in the Prologue,

now it begins to wake up, and things begin to move and take

shape. Notably Einstein feels empty after all his hard work, and

nothing that previously bought him solace feels helpful

anymore. Lightman gives the reader this final paradox to

consider. A man who will go on to win the Nobel Prize for

Physics feels at a loss after completing the most difficult work

of his life. This shows Einstein was someone who created his

own meaning through his work with time.

g Quotes

"She is terrified ... she will kick up

dust, ... as a Peter Klausen [makes]

his way to the apothecary."

— Narrator, 16 April 1905

This image of a woman creeping in and huddling in the dark

illustrates the terror with which people in this dream world feel

over the possibility of altering the past in a way that will affect

the future. Peter Klausen will go on to have a descendent who

helps form the European Union, which the woman knows is

essential to the future.

"Time struggles forward with a

weight on its back when ... rushing

an injured child to the hospital."


People experience time as "body time" in contrast to

"mechanical time." Whereas mechanical time is rigid and fixed,

body time is more connected to individual sensations, moods,

and rhythms. This image depicts the way in which time can

seem to drag unbearably when in a moment of crisis.

"While people can be doubted,

time cannot be doubted."


This dream world is concerned with time and people being

predictable or unpredictable. Here time is an absolute, and for

many people that is a consolation that inspires near-religious

reverence. This is because people can be unpredictable,

moody, and hard to believe. Yet in this world time is indifferent

and solid, it can be quantified and therefore cannot be doubted

in the same way as people.

"Einstein ... explain[s] to ... Besso

why he wants to know time. But he

says nothing of his dreams."

— Narrator, Interlude

This Interlude depicts "real life" outside of Einstein's dream

worlds, and offers a rare glimpse into Einstein's relationships

with his friends and family. The reader is aware of how rich and

vast Einstein's dreams are, and so it is of significance that

Einstein chooses to hide this aspect of himself from his best

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Quotes 22


friend. It is something he keeps hidden because he doubts

himself or does not know how to articulate it.

"So, too, individual people become

stuck in some point of their lives

and do not get free."

— Narrator, 10 May 1905

In this dream world time is sticky, and portions of it become

stuck in a particular moment of history. This also means that

people become stuck in their own history as well. Here

Lightman offers a comment on the way people's perception of

time can alter their relationship with the way the past

influences their present.

"Order is the law of nature, the

universal trend, the cosmic

direction."


In this dream world the future becomes more orderly as time

marches on. Time is organized to increase in its orderliness,

and here Lightman shows how humans are powerless to

control "the law of nature" in this way. Ultimately people try to

rebel against it but are powerless to its force.

"Who would fare better in this

world of fitful time?"


The narrator asks the question of a world in which people can

glimpse their own futures. He wonders if people who have

seen the future would fare better since they know the life they

will lead. Or perhaps those who have not seen their future will

fare better since they must wait to see what happens and be

surprised.

"Philosophers sit in cafes on

Amthausgasse and argue whether

time really exists outside human

perception."

— Narrator, 5 June 1905

Time only exists as a sense in this world, and so each

individual's observation of time is different. It's significant that

philosophers would debate whether time really exists since

there is no way to prove or perceive another individual's unique

perception. If time cannot be measured it's difficult to quantify

how it can be perceived.

"Such is the cost of immortality.

No person is whole. No person is

free."


Here the narrator presents a paradox about immortality.

Though one might assume that to be immortal would be the

ultimate freedom, the cost the narrator is depicting here is one

in which everyone is bound to their ancestors, and since

everyone is still alive their accomplishments are diminished.

Things are also rarely completed since there is no sense of

urgency.

"In this world, time is a line that

terminates at the present, both in

reality and in the mind."


The implications of this world are hard for the reader to grasp

since in our ordinary world we have sense of the past, present,

and future. Yet the consequence that the narrator offers here

is one in which living in the present is filled with dread, since

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Symbols 23


every parting seems like the final parting, and every loneliness

feels permanent. The past and the future are necessary to give

the present meaning.

l Symbols

Birds

Birds symbolize time in Einstein's final dream. Dream Figures

chase after the birds to trap them and thus gain some time,

even though they know the birds will die soon after being

trapped. While the majority of Einstein's other dreams feature

abstract concepts about time as played out by the Dream

Figures, the birds are a concrete symbol of the fleeting nature

of time; they also represent the danger of believing one can

control and manipulate time.

Dream Figures

Although the Dream Figures live in recognizable cities and

towns in Europe, the author deliberately leaves them nameless.

The Dream Figures symbolize humanity as a whole, particularly

the ways in which humans perceive and deal with the structure

of time in their lives. Their hopes, fears, and anxieties are

depicted as individual struggles, but their stories all have

universal elements. Even though time is a scientific concept,

humans relate to it through their own personal experiences

and histories.

m Themes

Time

Because Einstein is so wholly preoccupied by theories of time,

these theories begin to infiltrate his sleeping subconscious.

Each dream world shows a different way time could work, from

looping in on itself to becoming its own dimension. Although

Einstein is a scientist, the Dream Figures care little for science.

Rather they try to exist, love, and survive in worlds in which

time's structure shapes the very nature of their lives. Lightman

depicts people who grow unhappier the more they try to

manipulate time, demonstrating that even if people can

understand time they cannot take advantage of it. And even if

time works the same way for everyone, no two individuals

experience time in the same way. In the world of Einstein's

Dreams time is both an organizing principle as well as a

thematic backdrop that the Dream Figures must live in and

face the consequences of. Lightman sets out to show not only

how Einstein's theories shape our conception of time but also

how time shapes the lives and decisions of individuals.

Free Will

Many of Einstein's dreams ask how much control humans can

have over their lives when the passage of time is out of their

control. In many of the dream worlds time dictates how much

free will an individual has. For example, one dream depicts a

world in which people can glimpse their futures, which takes

away any sense of risk, surprise, or passion. In another dream

everyone knows exactly when the world will end, which leads

people to make decisions already knowing the final outcome of

their fate. Yet Lightman points out free will is also a function of

perception; if people perceive time has already plotted out

their destinies they are less likely to attempt autonomous

decisions. The way in which the author introduces the concept

of free will and fate into the lives of the Dream Figures brings

in a philosophical element that intersects with Einstein's

scientific concepts, asking the reader to question how those

elements intersect in their own lives. Science and philosophy

are not disciplines that ordinarily speak the same language,

and here Lightman's background as a scientist and creative

writer find a thematic expression in considering the

consequences of free will.

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide Motifs 24


Humanity

Although Einstein's Dreams deals largely with how dreams may

have helped Einstein develop his theory of time, each dream

also delves into the unique human perception and experience

of time. Einstein's Dreams is concerned with how humans

perceive time and how it shapes their thoughts, emotions, and

sense of free will. The unnamed Dream Figures in the novel

stand in for the whole of humanity, grappling with the structure

and limits of time as Einstein conceived of it. These Dream

Figures serve to humanize the more abstract theories and

concepts of time Einstein presents and show humans'

incredibly emotional connection to time.

The novel balances human thought and emotion with science

and shows the impact of time on human perception. Many of

the Dream Figures feel stuck in the past or trapped by their

memories, or they sense time slipping away before they can

tell someone their feelings. Their collective role serves to have

humanity stand in as a larger theme in the novel since

Lightman chooses not to trace individuals over the course of

the vignettes but to have the Dream Figures appear randomly

and often en mass. The effect of this theme is to connect the

reader's own humanity to the concerns and feelings of fellow

humanity. The dream worlds demonstrate that no matter how

differently time functions, humanity will always be concerned

with fate, free will, relationships, loss, and consequences.

There is something reassuring in this universality, and it ties

together and humanizes the other themes of time and free will.

b Motifs

Dreams

Each dream in the novel contains a different theory about time,

and the novel is comprised of back-to-back vignettes

containing these dreams. In this light, dreams are the

substance of the novel—without them Einstein's theories about

time would never have come to light. The people who inhabit

his dreams aren't meant to be characters that the reader

follows from beginning to end, but rather a collective humanity

that demonstrates the consequences of time inside of these

dream worlds. Lightman seems to suggest that without these

dreams, Einstein would never have arrived at his scientific

theories about time that won him the Nobel Prize. Through this

lens the exacting nature of science and the mysterious world

of dreams combine to create something innovative and

transcendent.

Consequences

Throughout the novel Einstein explores the consequences of

cause and effect in the worlds he dreams. This recurring motif

signifies the underlying belief that any human conception of

time—whether infinite or unstable—has a consequence that

may be unforeseen. Those who experience endless time in

their dream world yearn for a way out, and those whose lives

exist on a loop of time face the fact that they can't change the

future or the past. In some dream worlds the inhabitants are

acutely aware of the consequences of their actions, leading

some to live lives of inaction. The author constantly

investigates the idea that all time is consequential in one way

or another—it only matters whether it is noticed.

e Suggested Reading"About Alan Lightman." MIT Comparative Media

Studies/Writing. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.

Isaacson, Walter. Einstein: His Life and Universe. New York:

Simon, 2007. Print.

March, Richard H. Physics for Poets. New York: McGraw-Hill,

2002. Print.

Neffe, Jurgen. Einstein: A Biography. New York: Farrar. 2007.

Print.

Overbye, Dennis. "A Kiss Is Just a Kiss of Immediacy." New

York Times. 2 Jan. 1993. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.

Strawson, Galen. "BOOK REVIEW / Time out of Mind:

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman—Bloomsbury Pounds

11.99." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media,

6 Feb. 1993. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.

Documents

Einstein's Dreams Study Guide - WordPress.com · published numerous other fiction, essays, fables, and scientific tracts, along with a memoir. Some of Lightman's other notable titles