Good Versus Evil

It is usually difficult to classify an individual as all good or all evil because real people are multi-dimensional. However, most of the characters created by John Bellars in this novel are easily identifiable as either good or evil. Lewis, Jonathan, and Florence are firmly on the side of good, while Isaac and Selenna are evil characters. Though the clock is an object, its role is evil. There are many ways to determine good and evil, including the characters' actions and attitudes, their roles in the novel, and the traditional aspects of good and evil.

The clock in the walls of Uncle Jonathan's house is evil, but only because it was bewitched by Isaac for evil purposes. The clock, Isaac, and Selenna are tied together by their common goal of bringing about the end of the world. While the clock has no attitude of...