The Memory Police - characters

Question 1

The unnamed Narrator

Answer 1

• The novel’s protagonist, written in first person
• A compassionate and resilient character
• Initially she seems to accept the oppressive regime, however she gradually begins to question and resist the Memory Police as the disappearances grow more severe
• She voices her fears and concerns with the quickening rate and intensity of disappearances
• “People- and i’m no exception- seem capable of forgetting almost anything” p.10
• “The new cavities in my heart search for things to burn. They drive me to burn things and I can only stop when everything is in ashes” p.95
  -“I’d like to leaves behind some trace of my existence on the island.” p.270
• “I worry sometimes … I don’t know what will happen to the island if things continue to disappear” p.52
• “The traces of my father’s presence, which I had done my best to preserve, had vanished, replaced by an emptiness that would not be filled… [I stood] feeling myself on the verge of being drawn into it’s terrible depth.” p.14
• “I sometime wonder what was disappeared first- among all the things that have vanished from the island” p.3

Question 2

The Old Man

Answer 2

• A father figure to the narrator, a mentor supporting and encouraging her
• He is nurturing and selfless
• Extremely accepting of the disappearances in a stoic manner
• “He was truly gifted when it comes to machines, food, and plants” p.17
• “You have to stop worrying about things like that. The disappearances are beyond our control. They have nothing to do with us. We’re all going to die anyway, someday, so what’s the difference? We simply have to leave things to fate” p.185
• “There are more gaps in the island than there used to be. When I was a child, the whole place seemed… a lot fuller, a a lot more real.” p.54
• “As [the island] got thinner [and] full of holes, our hearts got thinner too, diluted somehow. I suppose that keeps things in balance… Which is why you shouldn’t worry” p.54
• (from narrator’s pov) “taking the book in both hands, as though he were receiving a sacrament” p.17

Question 3

R

Answer 3

• R is the only major character who remains his memories
• because of this, he could be seen as the self-insert for the reader
• He is determined to help the narrator and old man retain their memories
• “But I remember… The beauty of the emerald and the smell of perfume. I haven’t forgotten anything.” p.63
• “No matter what disappeared next, no matter how close the Memory Police came to finding us, he could do nothing but remain in the secret room” p.228
• “I’ve heard there’s a fairly large underground network that creates these safe houses… But if the police are starting to raid the safe houses. then there’s really no place left to hide” p.23
• “The island is run by men who are determined to see things disappear… they force [memories] to disappear with their own hands.” p.25
• “You have to guard these things forever in your heart… [memories] capture something profound.” p.94

Question 4

The Memory Police

Answer 4

• The oppressors and antagonists of the novel
• An authoritarian power that maintains secretive and mysterious
• although made up of many individuals, they act as one body
• Allegory (!) for real world governments and military bodies
• “Our primary function here is to assue that there are no delays in the process and that useless memories diappear quickly and easily” p.106
• “Their operation proceeded as it always did. Efficiently, thoroughly, systemically, and without any trace of emotion.” p.150
• “Each activity seemed to have some hidden meaning, which made the process all the more oppressive” p.152
• “The first duty of the Memory Police was to enforce the disappearances.” p.14
• “The [Memory Police] seemed to grow a bit more brutal each time [they appeared]” p.20
• “The Memory Police, guns drawn, kept a careful eye on us as they patrolled the waiting room” p.223