In the Time Travellers Wife why does Henry never meet himself?

Question

There are several occasions in the Time Travellers Wife where Henry arrives at the same point as he's already been

Such as when he sees himself die and when Alba is conceived

Why does he never meet himself on this occasions? Is there any other reason than the story would become too complicated?

Answer 1

I'm not sure about the movie, but in the book he does meet himself a few times. I particularly remember an incident when teenage Henry met himself and decided to ... experiment.

Answer 2

In many books and movies dealing with time travel, there is the implicit (and occasionally explicit) 'rule' that the traveler never changes anything, because it may 'alter the course of history.'

Think Back to the Future, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Terminator, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and 12 Monkeys, just to name a few.

This 'rule' likely plays a role in Henry avoiding himself in the past, because he wants to be sure his future with Claire and the birth of their daughter all happen as he knows them to.