Philosophy of Time Travel
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Philosophy of Time Travel is a fictional text from the movie Donnie Darko, written by Roberta Sparrow, a somewhat-deranged 101 year-old woman, who at an early point in her life acquired some sort of grand revelation regarding how to avert a doomsday event centered around the universe destroying itself because of the existence of an alternate, unstable timeline. At that point she suddenly abandoned nunhood, wrote the text and began teaching science. Because of her ragged unkempt appearance, poor condition of her house despite the fact that she's fairly wealthy, and her bizarre daily behaviour of repeatedly checking her mailbox while standing in the middle of the road, she is nicknamed "Grandma Death".
The text is critical to the understanding of the movie's many unresolved questions, and is indeed given to the protagonist of the movie at one point, though it is never shown within the movie what comprises the text. The extended DVD version however carries it, as does the main website[1] on which it is hidden.
The book itself is presented as disjointed, with a large number of pages and entire chapters missing. Donnie however is apparently given a complete copy. The rest of the article gives a summary and analysis of each section presented for public viewing, though the full text cannot be provided due to possible copyright violations.
Contents |
[edit] Foreword
Here Roberta gives thanks to six fellow nuns at the Saint John chapter based in Alexandria, Virginia for their support in her decision to write the book. She prays that what she has written is merely fictional, but if it is not, also prays for the reader who discovers it as such. It also implores the (un)lucky discoverer to seek her out if she is still alive. This is most likely tied into the movie by her constant checking of the mailbox, perpetually awaiting the letter that confirms the text as non-fiction before it is too late. The text is dated October 1944.
[edit] Chapter One: The Tangent Universe
This chapter covers the basis for alternate realities as presented in the movie. The main universe in which things progress properly is called the Primary Universe, as well as stating that the fourth dimension of time is stable but not damage-proof, though such events are exceedingly rare. When a time travel event does occur (such as the jet engine from the future in the movie), an alternate universe called the Tangent Universe is created to maintain the proper flow of time. However, because that universe was created using a paradoxical flow of time, it is inherently unstable and will collapse itself within a few weeks (Presented as Frank stating 28 days..42 minutes...6 hours...12 seconds).
[edit] Chapter Two: Water and Metal
This chapter is very short. It merely states that water and metal are two key components in the whole fiasco. Water is the medium by which travel between the Primary and Tangent is possible, and as such the spatial distortions, or Time Portals as they are called in the book, in the movie are presented as tunnels created of liquid.
Metal is the material from which the item that causes the paradox must be primarily made of. They are called Artifacts by Roberta, and are covered in the later chapters in more detail. While the book references fairly small items as Artifacts (arrowheads and swords), in the movie an entire jet engine is the item in question.
[edit] Chapter Four: The Artifact and the Living
This chapter covers preliminary relationships between the Artifact and people who are physically near it when it starts the paradox. They are presented as being at the center of a dangerous new world (A full-sized jet engine crashing into one's home is certainly very dangerous), and as people curious and intrigued by it. It also states that the appearance of an Artifact is the first clue that a Tangent Universe was created, as their sudden appearance from nowhere defies all logical explanation and indicates a damaged flow of time. Roberta believes that a divine miracle is the only rational explanation for such an event.
[edit] Chapter Six: The Living Receiver
Among the ones mentioned in the book, Donnie exhibits superhuman strength (being able to lodge an axe into a solid bronze statue), the ability of telekenesis (ripping the jet engine from his family's plane), as well as two other powers being allegorical more than anything; the ability to conjure fire (setting Cunningham's house on fire) and water (flooding the school). It is widely unknown that Donnie burned the 'They made me do it' into the ground at the school.
The chapter also mentions that the Receiver will constantly receive terrifying nightmares, auditory and visual hallucinations as well as visions while the Tangent exists. It ends off by making the first mention of the Manipulated, whom it states fear him and will try to destroy him one way or another.
[edit] Chapter Seven: The Manipulated Living
Another short chapter. This chapter tells of the Manipulated Living, people still alive within the Tangent who are often friends and family of the Receiver. However, because they are being Manipulated they often exhibit irrational, bizarre and violent behaviour because of the apparent senselessness of the events transpiring. The text ends off by mentioning that they will do anything they can to help close the Tangent (albeit unconsciously), as the end of their existence is the only alternative.
[edit] Chapter Nine: Ensurance Trap
Another short chapter. The chapter states that the Manipulated Living will set an Ensurance Trap. It also says that the Living Receiver must ensure the fate of all mankind. In the movie, Donnie's love for Gretchen is the ensurance trap. Frank brought Donnie and Gretchen together by telling Donnie to flood the school. This is proven in the dialogue when Donnie states "I am really glad the school is flooded today...Because I would have never had this conversation with you." Donnie falls in love with Gretchen, and her death would ensure that Donnie would succeed in returning the artifact. Donnie knew that the only way to bring his lover back to life would be to return the artifact and die in the process, thus giving him the greatest motivation to return the Primary Universe to its normalcy.
[edit] Chapter Ten: The Manipulated Dead
The Manipulated Dead are those who have died at any point during the Tangent while personally being involved in some way with events. Because of the damaged flow of time, their functional existence does not end with death and they are able to make use of the water medium (a Time Portal) to initiate contact with the Receiver in the Tangent's past. Because they actually have an idea of what's going on, the Manipulated Dead will plot out a set of events that will force the Receiver, called an Ensurance Trap. The chapter also bears two images, both referencing the approximate area of the solar plexus of the human body as the Fourth Dimensional Construct, the means by which the Dead make contact.
When Donnie consults with the school's knowledgeable physics teacher, he makes many references to themes already present. He states that for time travel to theoretically occur, a metal carrier vessel would be required to travel down a wormhole, along its center of gravity. The metal carrier in this case is the jet engine, and the movement along the wormhole on one's center of gravity is referenced in the movie as Donnie being able to see the immediate future movement paths of people as water-like tubular extrusions from the aforementioned solar plexus area.
The ability to see future paths was also presented as a conundrum. If one were able to see the future paths of people, could one deliberately choose to disrupt them and create an alternate future? As the school was religiously-based, the short discussion included whether concepts such as free will and choice truly existed, or were they merely variations within God's grand plan for things. In the case of the latter, free will and choice would be invalid; as they are already accounted for by a divine authority, they have no actual effect on the future.
[edit] Chapter Twelve: Dreams
The final chapter. It states that many of them will retain memories of the experience replaying in their dreams, and while most will not be able to make sense of it, a few will. Those few will often exhibit signs of regret and remorse because of the actions they did while the Tangent existed. The Artifact, which still exists in the Primary, will be the only sign that the Tangent had ever occurred.
The book ends here, save for a page of notes referencing the cast of the movie and categorizing them into Receiver, and Manipulated Dead and The Manipulated Living.
