The Survivor Wants to Die at the End

In the world of Death-Cast, time is a motif marking beginnings and endings, and it speaks to the theme of The Tension Between Free Will and Determinism. Each chapter in the novel begins with a notation of the precise time, local time zone, and the date if more than 24 hours have passed. All the events in the story occur between July 22 and July 30, 2020. The hours between midnight and 3:00 am hold special significance because heralds make their End Day calls during this period to accommodate the three-hour difference in time zones across the continental United States.

While people without suicidal tendencies dread receiving an End Day call, Paz has a perverse love-hate relationship with time. This is because he sees death as an escape that will free him from the misery of his life. At the beginning of the novel, he waits eagerly until midnight, hoping that he will receive an End Day call. By 3:00 am, he spirals into depression when the call doesn’t come. The cycle begins each succeeding night with hope followed by despair.

Alano has a similarly unusual reaction to time. Like Paz, he sees death as his only escape when the pressures of his life become too great.