Paradoxes
Though the novel makes it clear that paradoxes are impossible, many of the events of Daniel's life are an endless loop with no beginning or end. His Uncle Jim gives him the Timebelt, which Daniel in turn passes on to himself as a teen when he becomes old enough to play the role of Uncle Jim. The Timebelt's origins are unknown. Also, the fact that an older version of Danny and a female version of him have a child together ensures that Danny is essentially his own parents; the child is identical and becomes Danny, living Danny's life while Danny, in turn, adopts the surrogate role of Uncle Jim.
Read more about this topic: The Man Who Folded Himself
Famous quotes containing the word paradoxes:
“The way of paradoxes is the way of truth. To test Reality we must see it on the tight-rope. When the Verities become acrobats we can judge them.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“The so-called paradoxes of an author, to which a reader takes exception, often exist not in the author’s book at all, but rather in the reader’s head.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“This is one of the paradoxes of the democratic movement—that it loves a crowd and fears the individuals who compose it—that the religion of humanity should have no faith in human beings.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)