Memento—er, "That Evening Sun"—shows us the tricky nature of memory. People tend to remember the past the way they want to, or the way they need to. (You know how it's always someone else's fault?) This story reminds us of that reality from start to finish.
But according to many interpretations of this tale, the story also suggests we can overcome the traps of memory and advance our understanding of ourselves. The adult narrator Quentin, by allowing his lame final question into the story ("Who's going to do our laundry?"), arguably admits that the way his family treated the tragic figure of Nancy was totally wrong. No matter what spin you put on "That Evening Sun," it's pretty clear that a lot of this story is about our wars with our own memories.
Questions About Memory and The Past
- Set aside Quentin for a moment and consider who else in this story might doubt their memory. Does anyone? If so, who?
- Which of Quentin's memories should be taken as true or almost certainly true? Which of his memories should be taken as false or almost certainly false? Remember pretty much the whole story is Quentin's memory of how things were fifteen long years earlier.
- Who in this story seems to remember the past the most accurately? Who seems to remember it the least accurately?
- How does the past of fifteen years ago—roughly the start of the 20th century—differ from the adult Quentin's present? How are the two times alike?
Chew on This
By remembering and narrating this story of fifteen years ago, the adult Quentin significantly changes his view of his family's interaction with Nancy.
By remembering and narrating this story of fifteen years ago, the adult Quentin doesn't significantly change his view of his family's interaction with Nancy.