Memory and the Past Quotes in The Bourne Identity

When you see italics in the novel, it's generally part of Bourne's consciousness speaking up (it's Bourne speaking to himself, in his head). In this case, the voice almost taunts him, asking who he is ("Mr. Smith?") and if his memory is gone. Bourne is telling himself to stop it…which is interesting, since he's telling himself to stop telling himself that he's not there. (Oh, it makes our brains hurt. Seriously.) The fact that there's someone speaking in that head (or even two someone's speaking, it sounds like) indicates that there is something left when memory's gone. There's a voice at least, even if Bourne often wishes there weren't.

Marie is telling Bourne that he can't condemn himself for his memories when he's not even sure what they are. What she's saying is that the memories might be false—and she turns out to be right.That's kind of of too bad, since the fact that the memories are false erases some of the most interesting questions raised here, like "are you ethically responsible for a past you can't remember?" What do you think?

In the 2002 film, Bourne does walk away from it: he finds out he's an assassin, and he says: No way; I'm not going to do this any more. The amnesia doesn't exactly make him a new person, but it does give him a chance to decide to be a new person.

In the book, Bourne doesn't have as much to walk away from, since he was a good guy all along. Here, the amnesia just means he has to prove to himself once more that he's a good guy. He has to re-find the good self that was always there, rather than make a new one.