Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question. Life passes, with us all, a day at a time; so it passed with our friend Tom, till two years were gone. Though parted from all his soul held dear, and though often yearning for what lay beyond, still was he never positively and consciously miserable; for, so well is the harp of human feeling strung, that nothing but a crash that breaks every string can wholly mar its harmony; and, on looking back to seasons which in review appear to us as those of deprivation and trial, we can remember that each hour, as it glided, brought its diversions and alleviations, so that, though not happy wholly, we were not, either, wholly miserable. In at least one hundred words, explain why Stowe includes the drastic time jump that is introduced in this excerpt.

Answer 1

In this passage, Stowe is discussing the passage of time. His point -- and the lesson he is trying to teach -- meshes nicely with the technique he uses to get this point across.

Stowe makes the point that when looking back on bad times ("looking back to seasons which in review appear to us as those of deprivation and trial") we often remember that there were moments of happiness ("diversions and alleviations") that prevent us from being totally unhappy.

Stowe is also trying to indicate that time passes almost without our being aware of it. While it is true time passes "a day at a time," days accumulate without our being aware of it. And so, the year will end when it feels it has barely begun. The time jump Stowe uses is a perfect way to illustrate this point.

Although Tom has to live one day at a time, and even though he is not entirely happy, before he knows it "two years were gone." Thus, this time jump allows Stowe to do two things.

First, this time jump has a practical application. This drastic time jump of two years allows Stowe to fast forward quickly in time without describing all the little and unimportant events that happened over the course of two years. (It is enough to know that Tom lived through times of deprivation but had moments of happiness.) Second, this time jump allows Stowe to illustrate the theme of the passage of time that he is discussing in this excerpt.