Existence on the Margins: Alienation and the Quest for Meaning in How to Stop Time

ABSTRACT

Alienation is a human condition that every human being confront at one point or another in their life. First developed by Karl Marx as a theoretical concept, alienation is basically a feeling of isolation and estrangement from various aspects of life as well as of the society in which we live. The theme and concept of alienation has been one of the major concerns of literature since the very beginning. Alienation and its resulting helplessness and isolation have found expression in literature in various and diverse forms. However with this existential predicament becoming more and more visible and apparent in the contemporary world, alienation as a literary device is gaining more ground than ever. Matt Haig’s time travel novel ‘How to Stop Time’ tells the story of a four hundred year old man and his experience through ages. The sense of loneliness that the protagonist feels and undergoes leaves an indelible mark on the readers. This paper aims to study the concept of alienation in general and its manifestation in Matt Haig’s novel in particular.

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