If you had a chance to travel to any point in your past, where would you travel too? It is a simple question to most of us because we will always remember the important moments in our life. No matter how old we are, a moment significant to us will forever be in our memory. Our memories are priceless, nothing can replace the great events we have experienced in our life. For Hamlet, it is the memories he had with his father before his death. For Alice Walker, her memories growing up with her mother is precious. Adnan on the other hand, his memories to prove his innocent might be his key out of prison. From the three different texts, these characters value their memory which shapes their figure.
A memory of a person is especially more valuable and meaningful when someone you love is gone. Shakespeare does not provide any detail in his play regarding Hamlet’s connection with his father before his death, but he hinted that Hamlet had a loving bond with his father. At the beginning of the play, in Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet was extremely disgusted at the fact that his mother did not have any memories of his father and married his uncle soon after his father’s death. Claudius even told Hamlet to forget about his father, which made Hamlet even more furious. If we put ourselves in Hamlet’s shoes, it is nearly impossible to forget a significant moment with a parent, who has influenced us growing up. Later in that act, the ghost of King Hamlet seeks his son to avenge him and tells him to “Remember me”(1.5.91) which refreshed Hamlet’s memory with his father. Hamlet values his father, which lead him to his goal to kill his uncle to avenge him.
What someone do for you, will always be remembered. Alice Walker grew up watching her hardworking mom work in hard labor in order to afford a house for her family. However, after Alice moves out of the house to college, her mother downgraded into a smaller apartment. Alice picked up a blue stoneware bowl that she used as a kid from her mother when she was getting rid of her items. Unfortunately, her mother died from a stroke, but Alice’s memories of her mother lived on when she reflected back to the bowl. Alice values the memories between herself and her mother through the connection of the bowl. She remembers her mother’s endless love and determination so she can live a comfortable life.
In the Serial Podcast, Adnan was convicted of first-degree murder on his ex-girlfriend but claims he is innocent. To this day, there is no right answer to whether or not Adnan is actually innocent or guilty. In interviews, Adnan claims that he does not remember specific information on that because it was just a regular day for him. There is no physical evidence that Adnan is the real murder, but the biggest mystery is the lack of memory Adnan recalls on that day. I strongly believe Adnan is trying to hide key information in this case because even if he did or did not commit the murder, the death of his ex-girlfriend is a day that should impact him. Moreover, I believe he values his memory and is not willing to let investigators know what he knows.
Importance of Memory 