CHARACTER ANALYSIS IN ″ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF SPOTLESS MIND″

CHARACTER ANALYSIS IN ″ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF SPOTLESS MIND″

Introduction

The film of eternal sunshine of spotless mind is based on the theme of romance. The characters in the movie are compelled into making tough decisions by either love, or hate caused by failed love. Clementine, for example, decides to erase her memories in an attempt to forget about being in love with Joel. Joel, who is depicted throughout the film as being an introvert, makes the same decision after learning of Clementine’s story. The two former lovers, Joel and Clementine, seem to be given a second chance by fate when they meet again. The reunion of Joel and Clementine, however, receives a stumbling block when the emails sent by Mary; a former employee of Lacuna enterprise hit them by surprise, reminding the two lovers of the past relationship. Mary has been through the mind erasure procedure, but it appears as if it was done without her knowledge. The reappearance of Mary’s memory significantly affects former Lacuna customers as it leads to the sharing of emails with memories of the patients before the process is done on them. Mary strikes a balance between the other characters by bringing out the issue of elapsed time, space and connectivity by exposing the weaknesses of the whole procedure.

Body

The loss of memories is similar to lost time. The effects of lost memories become worse when the procedure of erasure is not perfect enough to ensure that an individual does not come to remember again. Mary comes to learn of her lost memories by accident, since then her life changes permanently. The decision to forward emails containing memories to the owners shows how Mary does not accept the process done on her. The coming to knowledge that Mary was once pregnant but pressured into carrying out an abortion seemed so hard on her and could not come into terms with it.

The emails sent to Joel and Clementine comes to them as a surprise after remembering how much about their past they had forgotten. The passing of time without each other is interpreted differently by Joel and Clementine. Joel thinks that the meeting again simply meant that they were only supposed to be together, but Clementine questions how the relationship would not end up just like the first one. The concept of lost time would have never been an issue was it not for the flaws left out by Dr Mierzwiak in the erasure procedure. The passing of time is seen to bring with it a change in space.

The space created by memory erasure only affects one individual. The results of undergoing a memory erasure are that someone losses information about themselves. There is however a possibility those memories fill the space at a later time (Lamba and Sidebottom 96). It is evident that people around Mary know her better than she knows herself. The revelation made by Howard’s wife about the affair between Mary and Dr Mierzwiak proves a space in Mary’s memories. Mary becomes curious and searches for evidence from the Lacuna facility and when emails are found, Mary sends them to the customers in a bid to remind them of their loss. The space created by memory erasure, however, does not appear to be permanent. Joel and Clementine remember about their past relationship, and if the procedure were perfect, that would not have been the case. The presence of a space of emptiness in Mary’s memory made her feel like a victim of abuse by Dr Mierzwick, and the immediate reaction is a resignation from the job. The role of Mary in the film is to build the other characters as she is connected to almost all the events happening in the film and creates a twist in the behavior of the other characters.

A connection always exists between one’s memories and those around. The connectivity between characters is so critical in that a story cannot be built on unrelated characters (Pullen 397). The erasure of memory can present adverse effects on an individual’s social relations. For example, Mary would ultimately have a changed perception towards men after Howard’s attempt. The erasure of Mary’s memories helped Howard to compel his wife into living a lie by believing that Howard did not have an affair with Mary. Also, Mary’s stay in the Lacuna facility would be seen as slavery since she was not given a chance to use the original memories which would have otherwise made Mary resign earlier. The affair between Mary and Howard is an earlier reflection of the broken relationship between Joel and Clementine. The decision by Joel to erase his memories could be seen to have been forced by anger due to Clementine’s actions which were similar to that of Mary being forced by Howard. The role of Mary in the film can be seen as to offer redemption to victims of mind erasure. Joel and Clementine, for example, would not appreciate the idea that fate was giving them a second chance were it not for Mary’s intervention.

Conclusion

Mary plays the role of reminding Lacuna customers of their lost memories. The theme of lost time, changed space and connectivity would otherwise not be evident where it not for the reappearance of Mary’s erased memories. The decision by Clementine and Joel to erase their memories shows how characters are having difficulties in dealing with the reality of failed relationships. The procedure of memory erasure at first appears to be individual’s choice but the turns out to be different all through in the case of Mary. Dr Mierzwick failed in upholding perfection in the process of erasure leading to the gaps that led to Mary getting access to her lost memories.

 

 

 

 

 

References

Lamba and Sidebottom. “”Cyclic plasticity for nonproportional paths: part 1—cyclic hardening,   erasure of memory, and subsequent strain hardening experiments.” Journal of     Engineering Materials and Technology 100, no. 1 (1978):.” 96: 96-103.

Pullen. “Heroic gay characters in popular film: Tragic determination, and the everyday.      Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies.” 2011: 25(03), 397-413.