"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

The Harlequin, the story’s protagonist, is a whimsical anonymous figure rebelling against the rigid strictures of the time-obsessed society. He takes his name from Arlecchino (meaning “Harlequin” in Italian), a popular stock character in the Italian theatrical genre commedia dell’arte. This character, often seen in pantomimes and slapstick comedies on Italian, French, and English stages from the 16th to 19th centuries, was identifiable by his mask and costume of triangle and diamond shapes in alternating colors (called motley) and his clown-like behavior. Arlecchino/Harlequin often ended up in “difficulties from which he managed to extricate himself by cleverness and irrepressible high spirits” (“Harlequin.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 5 Nov. 2008). Ellison’s Harlequin, with his “elfin grin,” motley, and jester’s hat, is clearly modeled on this character. He uses a blend of whimsy and trickery in his fight against the timebound authorities. His weapons—fireworks, nonsense songs, “little jelly bean eggs of childish color” (148)—draw attention to how dull and inhumane the world around him is. They harm no one physically but cause delays and confusion for the System itself.

Ellison gives the character of the Harlequin depth and nuance in two scenes. At home in his real-world identity as everyman Everett C.