Memento Mori

    The short story memento follows a pattern: a reminder by the main character, Earl, to himself of his purpose, followed by a glimpse into a 10 minute frame of clarity in what seems to be his present life. However, the story ends with the incompletion of the pattern. It ends with ominous and ambiguous instructions that fail to clarify what the past or present is or whether his purpose has been fulfilled or not, and leaves the story open to a feeling of inadequacy. By structuring the story in this manner, author Jonathan Nolan succeeds in portraying the fractured mind of his character and presenting the broken fragments of his life in a way that fits together to form a puzzling yet intriguing story of the after effects of a neurological traumatic accident mixed with the sudden loss of a loved one. The repetition of the pattern parallels Earl's memory loss and the lack of clarity at the end of the story reflects the lack of fulfillment he experiences in his life after needing to restart his existence every 10 minutes.  

    The movie memento has a similarly perplex structure and impactful ending, and both victims share a couple of memorable quirky aspects. In the movie, Leonard Shelby, portrayed by Guy Pearce, shares various traits with his Earl counterpart, such as his love for lists and reminders. Much like Earl's memories of writing notes on the back of his hand, Leonard has found this love in his adult life and adapted it to a more permanent reminder that won't wash out in the shower-aka tattoos. Covered by tattoos all over his body as reminders, the two stories follow the pattern of recounting what the main character's purpose of living is that day followed by their actions taken to fulfill their purpose. Unlike the short story's structure however, the movie follows two timelines, one that starts from the completion of his goal and another that starts on his first recounting of what his goal is. These two timelines create multiple holes and conflictions as the movie switches from one timeline to another, much like what the character experiences in his daily life, and at the end of the movie the timelines explain each other. Though most plot holes are filled by the end of the movie, it is left unclear whether Leonard has found the sense of peace he has been looking for or if he will forget and begin his hunt for revenge all over again. 

    Although Leonard's purpose if fulfilled unlike Earl's, the movie is left with a similar feeling of uneasiness. In a system that works for them and reminds them of their purpose, neither has found the post-it note or tattoo they needed to remember how to find happiness again. The real tragedy of the story results from the endless loop of grief and impotence that leads to neither character ever fulfilling their true purpose and desire, which is to find the sense of safety and joy they had prior to losing their memory.