Similar to the book, 1984, "Repent Harlequin" is about individual freedom vs. social control. Everett C. Marm rebells against the office of the Master Timekeeper, also known as the Ticktockman, who possesses the ability to subtract hours, days, and years from anyone's life. Marm is another renegade who "rocks the boat" by letting society know that "time is not of the essence." Regardless of how neurotic everyone has become about being on time, some things are much more important in life, such as eating sweet jelly beans, laughing and having a good time.
Why let them order you about? Why let them tell you to hurry and scurry like ants or maggots? Take your time! Saunter a while! Enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the breeze, let life carry you at your own pace! Don't be slaves of time, it's a helluva way to die, slowly, by degrees... down with the Ticktockman!"
There are two primary ways in which people respond to society -- some follow the rules without question and others do what they feel is right, despite the consequences. In "Harlequin Repent," just as in "The Greatest Man," most people have transformed into followers of the status quo.
In both stories, both main characters get the last laugh. Smurch was up in heaven (or down in hell) laughing at all the celebrations...
He had become one of the most important people ever! Meanwhile, Marm gets the bigger laugh by taking over the role of the Master Timekeeper and being late while mumbling "mrmee, mrmee, mrmee."
More so, both of these stories are about the fact that there are too few heroes in the world. Ask anyone today "Who is your hero?" And it is very difficult to answer. Even the supposed "heroes" are in trouble one way or another. Because of all that is happening in the world today, people long for happy endings where the man in white is really the man in white, and the man in black is truly the man in black. The average guy/gal in the ticky-tacky house in the typical suburban town no longer is not interested in anti-heroes. he/she does not want to see movies or read stories about someone like him/herself who somehow makes it in life despite the hurdles.
Rather, people are looking for answers. They want someone they can actually look up to -- someone who has had the ability and the audacity to not care about what others think or say and someone who thumbs his/her nose at society and states, "Like it or not, this is who I am." or, as Harlequin says, he would rather be dead than continue to live in such a dumb world.
