Memory Wall

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness or death.

Dichotomies, depictions of opposing forces that create tension and often conflict, appear as a motif throughout the stories in Memory Wall. The most prominent dichotomies in the collection include nature versus human society, life versus death—or creation versus destruction—and light versus darkness. The reason these dichotomies create conflict, ironically, is not because two forces are in opposition. Rather, it is because the characters in the stories can only see one side or the other. In addition, the antipodal forces are not equal to each other at any given time because they exist in cycles. Given enough time, Memory Wall’s characters might recognize the give and take that ultimately brings equilibrium and demonstrates the theme of The Balance Between Loss and Renewal.

“Village 113” uses both setting and symbolism to illustrate the dichotomy between nature and human society. The story’s juxtaposition of the rural village and the city highlights this tension, as does the relationship between the powerful river and the government dam that will sap the river’s life force. Imogene and Herb’s struggle with infertility in “Procreate, Generate” explores the parallel dichotomies between life and death, creation and destruction.