Memento Questions

1. In an interview, Nolan stated that the character’s memory disorder creates an interesting problem surrounding his identity, namely in the way he must go about reconciling who he was in the past (which he remembers) with his present circumstances, which he only partly grasps. In what sense does human identity depend on the reconciliation of these two periods in life?

            Human identity is dependent on the reconciliation of what you have done in the past, what you are currently doing, and what you will do in the future. Mores specifically, it is determined by your perception and portrayal of these experiences for you can mislead others, and yourself, about your past, present, and future. One must take into account these three periods in life when trying to create a synopsis of a person, but they must take into account that time warps perception and therefore not take any time period at face value without further investigation. 

2. Lenny states, “The world doesn’t disappear when you close your eyes, does it? My actions still have meaning, even if I can’t remember them. My wife deserves vengeance, and it doesn’t make any difference whether I know about it.” In what way do Leonard’s actions have meaning?  How could his actions be seen as meaningless?  Finally, determine whether you agree with Leonard’s assertion or not and justify your opinion.

            Leonard’s actions have great meaning for those they affect for in his quest for vengeance for his wife he is used to enact vengeance for others and inevitably ruins the lives of others in the process. His actions could be seen as meaningless if you are looking at it from the point that Leonard himself will never be able to remember all of his trespasses and see the effect of his actions, and will never be able to remember the satisfaction of killing his wife’s assailant. For the most part I agree with Leonard’s assertion, the universe will inevitable go on without any of us and our actions will always have tangible ramifications even if we don’t know what they are, but I disagree on the point that vengeance is a slippery slope which has turned him into the evil he sought out to end, therefore I would argue that his wife deserved justice rather than vengeance which he could have attained by arresting the rapier rather than murdering him and becoming a monster himself.

3. Lenny argues that memories are unreliable and, thus, his condition has no real impact on his ability to discover truth. “Memory’s not perfect. It’s not even that good.” What methods does Leonard use to arrive at the truth?  Specifically, what devices serve the purpose of his memory and is his method reliable?  Why or why not?

            Lenny is correct in the assertion that memories are unreliable his claim that his condition has no real impact on his ability to discover truth is a reach. Yes, facts are more reliable that memories but when facts can be warped by lack of memories to verify them truth is misconstrued, his condition allows himself and others to fabricate facts and feign memories. Leonard arrives at this truth out of necessity, he needs to believe that his way is substantial enough to live a meaningful life in order to feel constantly fulfilled by his never ending quest to find his wife’s offender. Lenny’s copious notes and tattoos serves the purpose of his memory, but this method not reliable because if they are not detailed enough, or he is prevented from writing his notes, or he of someone else creates false notes, than he is relying of false or incomplete “memories” and facts, leading him to incorrect conclusions.

4. When Lenny jots down Teddy’s license number, he asks: “Do I lie to myself to be happy? In your case, Teddy... yes, I will.” Does Lenny really know how he has been used by Teddy?  Does he really care that he has been used for such a troubling purpose? Also consider what alternative Lenny did have to keep Teddy from continually using him as a killing machine.  Be specific in your response.

            No, Lenny can never truly be aware how long Teddy has been using him, and this is why Teddy picked him as his agent to surpass the legalities of the law, he can’t remember his trespasses and he can easily be manipulated to take out a new target. Lenny is troubled by the fact that he has been used to murder other John Gs but does not seem to care that much because he himself then goes onto create a new John G, Teddy, in order to again fulfill his lust for vengeance. Lenny’s alternative to prevent Teddy from continually using him as a killing machine was to get a tattoo on himself stating what Teddy truly was and what he had made him do, allowing him to avoid being used by Teddy in the future.

5. Most murder mysteries seem to construct their meaning by putting together clues and facts.  In this film, facts seem to lead to more confusion; they are often proven wrong or misleading in some way.  In other words, meaning is being taken apart instead of put together.  What does this suggest about the meaning of this mystery?  Secondly, in what other ways does the film defy the conventions of the mystery genre?

            This suggests that the meaning of this mystery is found in the deconstruction of what makes up an investigation of unreliable and bias facts, it is a story of the obsessive effect that a lust of vengeance creates and of fact warping ability of people who take advantage of others. The film also defies the conventions of the mystery genre from the reversed retelling format and its lack of a clean resolution.

6. At the end of the story, Lenny has been betrayed by his “facts” and by the people around him. With these losses in mind, consider what this story says about how our identities are shaped.   Who are we really, beyond our basic human relationships and our memory?  What makes Leonard the person that he really is?  What makes you the person that you are?

           

            Beyond our basic human relationship and our memory we aren’t really anything, because these are the facets that form a person. Others might argue that people are centralized about a soul that determines who they are and is independent of their human relationships and memories, but this is such an intangible idea and it is unreliable supported by beliefs rather than facts. Leonard is the person he really is because of the past he has fabricated for himself and the quest for vengeance it has created, his lack of short-term memories have created a heightened reliance and trust in his long-term memories which are in fact unreliable due to his own distortion of them. I am the person I am because of my upbringing and personal history, which have allowed me to create a moral code from which to live by.

7. How is the narrative of the film structured?  Why are some sequences in black and white and some in color?  How does the structure of the narrative reflect Lenny’s state of mind?  How does it affect the feelings and suspense of the audience?

            The narrative film is structured so that you are going one seen at a time further into the past, starting from Teddy’s murder and ending with the Lenny’s conception of the facts that led him to commit Teddy’s murder. The main timeline scenes in color are separated by snippets of a separate earlier scene in black and white that provide backstory and explanation for Lenny’s perception of his past and his current condition. The structure mirrors Lenny’s state of mind due to its disorganization and fragmented nature, which causes it to be harder to interpret and keep the facts strait for. This structure creates feelings of confusion and suspense in the audience because its scattered nature forces the audience to really pay attention in an attempt to follow along with all of its twists and turns, and subsequently causes them to become more invested as the story goes on and therefore more effected by the suspense of discovering the truth about Lenny and the explanations for his actions shown at the beginning of the movie.