11.22.63

In the opening chapters, King, calling upon elements of historical fiction, establishes an elaborate plot that flows from a simple, recognizable premise: The book asks what a person would do if they could go back in time and change one historical event. Given that John F. Kennedy’s assassination arguably correlates with an inflection point in American history, it is understandable why Al and Jake choose this moment to change. To many, Kennedy represented a beacon of hope at a time when the fragile post-World War II global stability had already been upset by the Cold War and threats of nuclear annihilation. Domestically, many believed that Kennedy would live up to his campaign promises to usher in landmark civil rights legislation addressing stark racial inequities in America. Yet as Jake will discover, the arc of time and history is more formidable than the actions of any one individual. King suggests that absent a total cultural upheaval, a white supremacist backlash to civil rights legislation was inevitable, as was the Vietnam War.

Jake begins his story by describing himself through his ex-wife’s opinions. He is an English teacher, but his ex-wife saw him as emotionless because he never cries in front of people. However, as Jake begins his story, it becomes clear that he is a compassionate person who simply hides his stronger emotions from those around him. For example, Jake’s ex-wife accuses him of not crying over his parents’ deaths, but he admits to crying like a child when he reads about the murders of the high school janitor’s family.

Jake is telling this story from an unknown point in the future. He reveals this in some of the things he says, as at the end of the prologue when he talks directly to his reader, “I wish I had been emotionally blocked, after all. Because everything that followed—every terrible thing—flowed from those tears” (7). This is omniscient narration. Jake knows exactly what happened and why, and he can analyze it as he narrates the story.

Al is not popular among the people of Lisbon Falls, as the reader learns from Jake’s description of the local gossip. The diner owner somehow keeps the cost of his food low in a time when the economy is struggling, a fact that causes a great deal of uncertainty among the people in Jake’s community. However, he appears to be a kind, if lonely, gentleman with few people around him to reach out to. When he is diagnosed with terminal cancer, the person he calls is a loyal customer, not a family member or close friend. Not only does this suggest the loneliness of this one character, but it touches on the idea that neither Al nor Jake have much of a community in this 2011 world—a significant theme of the novel.

Finally, the Yellow Card Man seems insignificant at the beginning of this novel. Jake quickly forgets about this individual in his fascination with being in a different time period. Jake is fascinated with the taste of the root beer, the smells of the textile mill, and the sounds of cars and the people. However, as the novel continues, the Yellow Card Man haunts Jake, and his significance is revealed at the end of the novel, illustrating all Jake did not know about time travel.