The Memory of Things

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Parts 2-3

Part 4

Parts 5-6

Parts 7-8

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Forward Progress

In The Memory of Things, each central character demonstrates the idea of moving forward despite obstacles and fear, exemplifying the theme of “The Many Forms of Courage.” Progress in any capacity is difficult in the face of tragic circumstances, but Kyle, his family members, and Hannah take steps, one after another, despite the fear, loss, and heartbreak of September 11th. Kyle makes the meals and does loads of laundry, intuiting the importance of maintaining a functioning household for the benefit of everyone’s raw emotions. He also allows himself to progress toward more profound feelings for Hannah, quickly coming to love her resiliency and spirit. Though initially hesitant to allow her memories to resurface, Hannah recalls all within a few days, progressing toward healing despite her fear under the burden of emotion. Uncle Matt makes progress through the card memory trick and when he takes a bite of food independently. Kyle’s father and many others push themselves relentlessly to progress the work completed at Ground Zero. Kyle’s mother and sister persevere at LAX, trying to secure seats on a flight home for hours, then days.

Hannah’s ID Card

The loss of Hannah’s ID card represents “The Ephemerality of Life” in the novel. In a temporary sense, Hannah’s life is wiped clean away as she cannot remember anything about herself, her family, her school, or even for a while, the attacks. The ID card would have served as a bridge back to memories and traits, but Kyle inadvertently ruins it in the wash; he also purposely does not reveal the few remaining letter clues on the card to Hannah or his father. He does this with intent, as he does not want Hannah to leave; however, the novel subtly suggests that Kyle’s secret allowed Hannah’s identity and memory to resurface in a less traumatic way.

The Deck of Cards

The deck of cards serves as a symbol that supports the theme of “The Complexity and Function of Memory.” When Kyle hears Uncle Matt repeat back the list of ten random objects in the memory exercise he taught Hannah, he realizes that the doctors may be correct; despite Uncle Matt’s outward condition and lack of independence, his brain swelling is still going down and consequently, he might continue to heal in ways large or small. Taking a risk, Kyle uses a deck of cards to test the limits of Uncle Matt’s improving mental capabilities. He encourages Uncle Matt to use a mnemonic device Uncle Matt once taught him to memorize a random sequence of shuffled face cards: associate a person, an action, and an object with each. Kyle creates a story for each card in the sequence, and Uncle Matt relays the cards by memory correctly on the first try. More importantly, Kyle is thrilled to banter and josh each other around like before the accident.