Erewhon

The narrator’s watch causes trouble for him upon entering Erewhon, but it also brings him comfort during his journey. In the final escape from Erewhon, he wishes that he had the watch on him to measure the time he has been in the air, but his desire for the watch at this late date also reveals the symbolic significance that the object holds for him throughout the novel. Ultimately, the watch is a representation of England, English customs, or European culture more broadly, as it reminds the narrator of the Euro- and anthropocentric values of his home country. In the mountains as he approaches Erewhon, though he appreciates the beauty of nature around him, he takes comfort in his watch as a talisman against the elements of nature that may harm him. So long as he has this piece of the technology that he believes to demonstrate the superiority of his species and culture, he does not fear the mountains as severely. Likewise, in the balloon, while knowing the time is not particularly useful, the idea of having a piece of home is comforting, and he laments that he could not bring his watch with him.

As a symbol, the watch also underpins the critical differences between English and Erewhonian culture, with the watch representing, for the Erewhonians, the dangers of technology.