64 pages • 2 hours read
Ruth OzekiA Tale For The Time Being
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Write about the importance of Zen Buddhism in A Tale for the Time Being. How does Jiko use the principles of Zen Buddhism—such as the practice of zazen and the importance of the present moment (the “now”)—to help Nao become more resilient and cultivate her “superpower” (176)?
A recurring topic in the novelis suicide, particularly its prominence in Japanese society and culture. Discuss the ways in the which the possibility of suicide affects Haruki #1, Haruki #2, and Nao.
Write about the relationship between the reader and the writer. How do the roles of reader and writer become blurred through the characters of Ruth and Nao, who at times take on both these different roles?
Write about the role of dreams in the novel. In what instances do dreams seem to exert an actual influence on the physical world and the lives of the other characters?
Write about the significance of crows in the novel. For instance, how does the Jungle Crow connect Ruth’s world and Nao’s?
A Tale for the Time Being is full of allusions to different literary and philosophical works, but two texts that are mentioned especially frequently are Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō and Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu. Research one of these two works and write about the significance of this author and his major work to the plot and themes of Ozeki’s novel.
Ruth and Oliver’s cat is named Schrödinger (although they call him Pesto). At the end of the novel, Oliver reminds Ruth about the famous thought-experiment and suggests that it represents possible scientific rationale for believing in the existence of multiple worlds. How does the suggested paradox connect to the overall plot?
Why is it significant that Nao’s dad, Haruki #2, was named for his uncle, Haruki #1, the philosophy student and kamikaze pilot? What parallels exist between these two characters? What similarities exist between Nao and Haruki #1?
What is the significance of the novel’s title, A Tale for the Time Being? How would you explain Dōgen’s concept of the “time being,” and how does it relate to the interconnected stories of Nao and Ruth?
A Tale for the Time Being is a novel about writing and literature that contains many metafictional elements: the fictional character of Ruth is based on the novel’s real-life author, Ruth Ozeki, and Nao is a highly self-conscious and self-aware narrator. In what ways does Ozeki use metafiction to make the reader reflect on the storytelling process?
Related Titles
By Ruth Ozeki
