Ever wished you could travel through time? We totally have. For Will, though, this fantasy becomes reality when he learns that he's an Old One. His time-travel isn't exactly what we might have imagined, though. For one thing, he doesn't get to randomly visit cool locations or famous dates in history—he has bigger things on his plate, like saving the world from the Dark. Time is still a big deal to him and the Old Ones, though, since they can freeze time whenever they want to and also go to any point they need to. Just think—you could have all the time you needed on tests if you were an Old One, too.
Questions About Time
- Merriman says that all time exists simultaneously. Is this essential to the plot? Why or why not?
- How can the Old Ones impact the future by going to the past? Are there any limits on what they can or can't do in the past?
- Why do you think we're told about Hawkin's betrayal in the order that we are? How would our impression of his actions change if we heard his story chronologically?
- How are the themes of time and power related? How do the Old Ones gain power by manipulating time?
Chew on This
In The Dark is Rising, the past and future are ultimately unknowable because the Old Ones can impact them from the present at any time.
Even though the Old Ones travel through time, they never impact any historical events in the past so the future remains the same.