Poetry · Chapter
Master and Boy explained
A dialogue between Time and a child who identifies himself as the Shadow of Christmas-day, running after his Master.
What happens
A dialogue between Time and a child who identifies himself as the Shadow of Christmas-day, running after his Master. Time encourages the child to keep pace, and reflects that when the boy reaches his master, Heaven's New Year will have come.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the speaker tu…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Childhood and Innocence
The child's innocent role as the Shadow of Christmas-day and his eager pursuit of the Master highlight themes of childhood and purity.
- Longing for Immortality
Old Time's reflection on the boy reaching his Master as Heaven's New Year suggests a longing for eternal renewal beyond mortal time.
Characters to notice
- Death
Old Time sits on a grave-stone, personifying the passage of time and mortality.
- Little Boy Blue
The child is the Shadow of Christmas-day, running after his Master.
- The Master
The Master is the one the child runs after, representing Christmas-day or a guiding figure.
Key passages
“Who is this little one lying, Said Time, at my garden-gate, Moaning and sobbing and crying, Out in the cold so late?”
Time asks who the small child is, crying alone at his garden gate late at night.
Introduces the child's vulnerability and Time's role as an observer.
“Run, my child; still he's in sight! Only look well to his track; Little Shadow, run like the light, He misses you at his back!”
Time urges the child to keep running fast, as the Master is still visible and needs the shadow behind him.
Encourages perseverance and the importance of the child's role.
“Old Time sat down in the sun On a grave-stone—his legs were numb: When the boy to his master has run, He said, Heaven's New Year is come!”
Time rests on a tombstone and declares that when the child reaches his Master, the heavenly New Year begins.
Closes with a hopeful vision of renewal and reunion beyond death.
