Synchronized Clocks, Broken Clocks /Presentist Time, Anthropocene Time: A Case Study Using Odds Against Tomorrow

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of what lies at the core of the Anthropocene’s emergence, where the Anthropocene might head in the future, and the critical issues that require attention during this process. It does so by exploring how individuals relate to time as represented in Nathaniel Rich’s cli-fi novel Odds Against Tomorrow. The paper focuses on the depiction of time, particularly the imagery of clocks, and examines the insights this imagery offers into modern perceptions and experiences of time. The clocks synchronized to the temporal perspective of a character with late-capitalist views of time and economy illustrate the prevalence of presentism. Meanwhile, the broken clock in the aftermath of the flood hints at the possibility that the unpredictability of the Anthropocene and its new temporality might paralyze individual consciousness and psychology. Timothy Morton’s concept of the ‘hyperobject’ as characteristic of global warming is useful here. It suggests that there is a potential to apply E. Ann Kaplan’s notion of ‘pretrauma’ to the novel. Doing so could connect ‘pretrauma’ not only with the near future but also with the far distant future. This underscores the need to consider the impact of the Anthropocene’s immense timescale on our conception of time as we seek ways to respond to its challenges.