Security of Identity on the Terms of False Memories: Leonard's Lucidity and Stasis in 'Memento' Leah Sallis 12th Grade

Memento is a film directed by Christopher Nolan, a thriller which tackles the epistemological issues of identity relating to memory. The main character, Leonard, lacks the ability to create short-term memories and struggles to self-identify after the accident that left him damaged. His life is consumed by a never-ending cycle of following clues and evidence, left by himself in a past moment of lucidity, which he believes will lead him to his wife’s murderer. Due to his disability, it can be argued that Leonard lacks an identity after his accident because he can’t continue to grow as a person, but what if this makes his identity the most secure? If people are constantly changing, then there is no such thing as a constant identity unless you somehow were physically unable to grow as a person, perhaps by suffering an accident that caused you to be unable to form new memories. Leonard’s disorder will cause him to hold a constant persona, one that never changes or learns new information to grow, which gives him a disadvantage in a world that is constantly changing.

To be human is to continually acquire new information in order to grow knowledge and adjust personal values to suit. In Leonard’s case, he cannot do this so his life has...