In the short story, “The Rememberer”, by Annie Bender, the devolution of a man into simpler forms is put into place. The literary theory, Disability theory, can be examined throughout the story’s theme; the theme being the concept of the “rememberer” a person who has the position to “to hang onto and recall the memories…slowly being lost…” The connection between the story and the theory involves the character, Ben, devolving into less of a man, not being able to do things on his own and relying on his lover as a caretaker and a person to remember him after he is gone. The disability theory simply is that a disablement is an important role in life. This corresponds to “The Rememberer” in multiple aspects of the story. Ben’s disability was how …show more content…
In relation to the disability theory, Ben becomes less human. He loses certain characteristics and becomes abundantly incapacitated. Each of the form of species is becoming more simpleminded than the next. He believes that everyone thinks too much and that “Our brains are getting bigger…and dies when there’s too much thought and not enough heart.” The fact that he believes humans are beginning to overthink things and are becoming smarter, symbolizes the way he reverse evolves into simpler species. The forms that he devolves into don’t think as complex as humans do. Specifically, as he devolves, the specie he forms into at the end is a “one-celled wonder…brainless…” Furthermore, he worries a considerable amount about overthinking and forms into a species that doesn’t think at all. He is less of a man and more of a “lesser minded” animal. Through each species that he forms into he then decreases as a man; for instance, he first turns into a baboon, which still has traits similar to humans then into a completely nonhuman form, a salamander. Animals don’t use the mind to the standard of humans. It appears that Ben assimilated into different species to “recapture the ‘heart’ of life” In this way, Ben disables himself from other human beings, but is able to become emotionally connected with …show more content…
Gradually, Ben overall becomes sensitive to the environment. The sadness has overwhelmed him and left him a primitive form. He becomes impaired in the way that he relies on a caretaker and is unable to recapture the memories of himself after he’s gone. Once Ben becomes missing, people don’t search for him but instead call to ask where he has been. After about a week everyone in his life ceases to call or look. Annie is the only one to evoke the memories of Ben, the disabled man who became primitive
Ben ran away from a Residential School in Kenora. He returned to his family in awful condition, because while attending Residential School Ben had become infected with tuberculosis. As young as Saul was, he knew that his brother was changed by the school, that it was “odd to see the expressions of a grown man on a boy’s face” (16). Saul’s family was worried that men from the school would come looking for Ben and find Saul too. They decided they must go somewhere where they couldn’t be found, so the headed to God’s Lake. Shortly after arriving to God’s Lake, Ben was over taken by the disease.
In like manner, Romero’s stereotypical portrayal of the protagonist Ben was that of an alpha male. Ben differs in nature and demeanor to Barbra. Ben embodied the alpha male, an aggressive, domineering unpleasantly rough hero who was persistent in finding solutions despite various objections. His aggression allowed him to courageously take on the ghouls, even if it involved him stepping outside to fend them off. When a multitude of the undead surrounded the farmhouse, Ben stepped outside and fought the ghouls and successfully slew a small number of the zombies while the other characters stayed inside the farmhouse. Ben also arrogantly asserted his plans above the other characters. A prime
Imagine you had all of the answers but you didn't share them or use them to your own advantage. Benjamin is the animal in the story that does this. It seems like he always knows what is going on but never wants to speak up about it. In the story when the pigs are try to teach all of the other animals about the alphabet and to teach them to read, benjamin does not want to be involved and learn because he already knows how to read but doesn't tell anyone that he can. He notices things that the other animals don’t throughout the story.
Ben exemplified compassion in many cases, were he would sacrifice himself or his personal trails for someone else troubles. In reality this scene can compare with real life cases in the world today how compassion can be shared with people to impact others. In the movie Ben finds himself falling in love with a girl name Emily, who has an enlarged heart that he later gave his life for her to survive. Ben shared compassion with 6 other people, but given the most compassion to Emily.
In a 1964 society where being different is frowned upon, a confused doctor makes the mistake of a lifetime. Giving away his newborn daughter. In the book The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, a riveting story of a doctor named David and his journey with guilt is told. The quick turning tale keeps the reader on their toes as new conflicts begin to arise and secrets that were kept for so long begin to surface. David’s son, Paul, is an underdeveloped character throughout the book. His name only comes up in 3 chapters. Whereas his sister Phoebe, is mentioned in every chapter. The author developed Phoebe's persona well since she is mentioned frequently. Throughout the book, there are moments when it feels as if a scene has dragged on for
- Later on in the book Ben says that he is psychometric. A psychometric is sensing what is to come through touch. Ben tells Camelia she is in danger.
As Charlie struggles to become emotionally independent and tries to form a deep bond with Alice, his memories shed light—for him and for us—on why this development is so difficult for him. Memories of his mother, Rose, instilling sexual shame in him arise when Charlie is experiencing this shame in the present. Likewise, Charlie’s memories of being mistreated for his disability arise concurrently with his attempts to determine his new status in society. Charlie’s increased intelligence enables him not only to recall things he has forgotten but also to understand the context of thoughts that earlier confused him. Charlie can see his past more clearly than he saw it while he was living it; in effect, he is learning about his past life as vividly and quickly as he is learning about his new life.
In The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, there are several intertwining themes creating a novel that is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. The first prominent theme is the idea of secrets, and the burden they carry; Edwards expresses this through the personalities and actions of the characters she creates. On a stormy winter day in March of 1964, Norah Asher and her husband Dr. David Henry rush to his office to welcome their new baby into the world. Once Norah was under anesthesia her son Paul was born, unknowingly, there was a second baby, a girl. As soon as she was delivered Dr. Henry could tell there was something wrong, he saw all the signs of a baby with a mental delay.
The narrator in “The Rememberer” is the main character, and her boyfriend, who is devolving, serves as the only other real character. I sympathize with the narrator more than the boyfriend. He was “always sad about the world” as a human, and says, “We’re all getting too smart” (64). He’s probably better off as a turtle or an ape, where he cannot worry so much about being sad about being human. I don’t sympathize with him, because there’s no reason why he’s sad.
Photography in The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Famous fashion designer and photographer, Karl Lagerfeld, once pointed out that the best thing about photography is that, “[photographs] capture a moment that is gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” This quote embodies the thoughts of Dr. David Henry throughout The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Photographs are a symbol of the doctor’s hidden love for his family members.
During his teen years, Ben had some anger issues. One time, he almost stabbed his friend with a knife, and got him killed. This shocked Ben, himself. He locked himself in the bathroom with a Bible, and started praying to God asking Him to help control his
Ben warns Annie by saying, “Annie, don’t you see? We’re all getting too smart, our brains are just getting bigger and bigger, and the world dries up and dies when there’s too much thought and not enough heart,” (Bender 3). Ben constantly warns her; “We think far too much,” (Bender 4). Annie and Ben are unable to love each other due to the fact that they are constantly over thinking. Ben understands how the world is losing focus and he attempts to stop the world’s devolution.
He is a victim of society. During this historical period, things such as down syndrome, autism, or psychiatric disorders were not commonly known or educated to people. Ben was verbally abused due to his looks being called names such as alien, goblin, Neanderthal baby, changeling, gnome, alien, destroyer, and even a monster by his own mother. He was also a victim of physical abuse. Harriet Ben’s mother being the indirect perpetrator in this case when Ben was thrown into an institution and mistreated. “On the floor, lay Ben. He was unconscious … His pale-yellow tongue protruded from his mouth. His flesh was dead white, greenish” (Lessing 82). In The fifth child, not only was the main character a perpetrator but wretchedly a victim as
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave debates one’s perception of reality. In the context of the Allegory of the Cave, reality consists of three degrees: an idea of the object, the object, and a model of the object. Ben’s perception of reality falls under the third degree, the model of the object. Ben lives in the darkness of stereotypes and lies that antagonize all people of color. He lacks self-confidence too.
At the time, it seemed like the end of the world when Ben lost his father at nine years of age. His father lived by and practiced the Golden Rule. Looking back, Ben is glad he had that experience. He learned from that, than anything else. His education began at an early age under his father, who put the touches to his study of the Alphabets. Upon the completion of his elementary education, Ben