There was
one quote in Memento that really
stuck out to me. Someone was talking to Leonard and confronted him about his
method of taking photos to remember past events. Leonard defended himself, and
questioned whether his methods were really any less accurate than those of most
humans. Basically, is recalling information based on a photograph really
different from recalling information from past memories?
In high
school philosophy, we talked about “rosy retrospection,” the human tendency to
recall events with more fondness than they had at the time. I think this is
just one way in which we as humans manipulate ourselves through our own past
memories. We have already discussed the powers of manipulation that photographs
hold extensively in class. I think that there are many parallels in the way
that Leonard recalls memories and the way that we all do.
To me, this
indicates that the writers of Memento
may be showing us as humans the ways in which we are manipulated by our own
memories through the point of view of Leonard. His tangible photographs provide
us with an easy way to see Leonard’s past memories, and the ways in which they
manipulate him.
I really like your connection with "rosy retrospection" because I think that Memento definitely shows us that memory is subjective and changes over time. After reading The Things They Carried, we discussed how stories are never told the same way twice and since our memories can be told as stories, memories may morph the more they are told and remembered. We can remember things fondly or angrily, and the feelings behind that memory can be strengthened. We manipulate ourselves to think in certain ways and thus our memories are manipulated by our emotions. Leonard relies on photographs to remember things, and manipulates himself into believing certain "truths" (even though they're not all "true") like we rely on our memory to remember things, but these truths can be distorted.
ReplyDeleteI think you both make great points. I agree that both individuals with neurological disorders and healthy individuals suffer from memory deficits in one way or another. For example, today in Philosophy we talked about alzheimers' patients. Because of their condition, they suffer from long-term memory loss. As a result, their personal desires change--leaving their friends and family with the difficult decision of whether to respect the wishes of the person they knew before the onset of alzheimers or to respect the wishes of the person they know now.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me wonder if individuals affected by some kind of memory loss experience a much more amplified version of what we experience in our own lives. As you both point out, our memories are completely subjective. Our recollection of our past changes the more time passes. But more than that, it's not just our memories that change with time, it's also our values that change. Because of our experiences and life circumstances, our values are constantly shifting. Leonard certainly doesn't value the exact same things he did before his amnesia. All of this leads me to believe that memory manipulation can and does occur in everyone, not only influencing how we view our past but also influencing our current values and personal identity.