King’s constant referral to the past using italics creates the world that Stella lives in. Stella does not just live in the space that is Goat Island, the space is representative of all of her experiences throughout her life. Since she has only been in one confined and defined space, time is compressed for her. She is constantly living in memories from the past because that is the width of her experience as a human. She has grown up as the island, so her beliefs and psyche come solely from what she has seen occur in this isolated space. She relates her emotions through her experiences on the island, which makes those events present even though they are far in the past. The ghosts that inhabit the island and talk to Stella show how time is not real for her. Those people are very much alive in her eyes because time does not exist for her.