The Epochal Time in 'Point Omega' Seda Dalgec College

Point Omega by Don DeLillo is a short novel that consists of three narrative parts delivered by two different narrators. Although the general emphasis is on the middle part where we hear the story from Jim, it is also important to give due attention to the parts called ‘Anonymity’ and ‘Anonymity 2’, for they envelop the main narrative in a physical way for a thematic reason. Time is a theme that is brought forward again and again both in the narration and in the form. The novel, in its form and plot, argues for the theory of epochal time which is significant in our understanding of the function of the first and last part, which are not explicitly in line with the rest of the novel, in their relation to the discussion.

The argument of epochal time in the storyline is delivered through the elderly character Elster. The phrase is articulated by Elster in his discussion about the time in the desert. The section is as follows: “’Time falling away. That’s what I feel here,’ he said. ‘Time becoming slowly older. Enormously old. Not day by day. This is deep time, epochal time.’” At this point, we may refer to Alfred Whitehead’s theory of epochal time1 which suggests that the sense of time is the succession of our experiences. He says “...