In the Moment

"Time is an absurdity, an abstraction. The only thing that matters is the moment." (Nolan 12). If this is true, then in the story "Memento Mori" and the movie Memento, it is ironic how the main character, Leonard, who is suffering from severe memory loss, is constantly trying to figure out the past, even though he knows he will not remember it once he learns what has happened. His wife is dead, and he is searching through a system of notes and Polaroid pictures for her killer. Though the story is unclear at first, through narration, structure, and repetition, the plot of the story becomes clearer.

The story is told in reverse order. Since the events in Memento are presented backwards, this allows the viewer to get into the mind frame of Leonard Shelby, the main character. Leonard is also the narrator of the story, and like him, the viewer is presented with a numerous amount of clues. Many of the clues mean something other than what they initially appear to be. For example, Leonard has a tattoo on his arm that says, "Remember Sammy Jenkis," unfortunately Sammy is a figment of Leonard's imagination and not a real person. Leonard suffers from a rare condition called Anterograde Amnesia due to head trauma he sustained during a break-in to his home. Therefore, he cannot create any new memories. He forgets where he is, where he's going and why. One of the things he does remember is that he was an insurance investigator in San Francisco with a home and a wife whom he loved very much. He also remembers when two men broke into his house the night his wife was raped, and in his mind, murdered.

Usually, the most reliable source in a movie is narration, but in the case of Memento it is not. The plot is based on Leonard setting out on ...

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...ly on others even though he is unsure of their motives. The fragments of his life are held together by his daily repetition of actions. This is a very important aspect of the story and it also shows how neurotic Leonard can be at times. He guides himself with tattoos on his body that are clues. He also carries around pictures of people he comes in contact with. This is why repetition of his daily habits is so important to his finding his wife's killer.

Narration, structure, and repetition is so important in understanding the story "Memento Mori" and the film Memento because without these elements the story is unclear, much like the thoughts in Leonard's head. Imagine being Lenny, and then imagine the horror of having nothing, nothing but the reliance of a pen and a Polaroid camera to know who you are. In this case, I guess some memories are best forgotten.