Memory - ("Memories")
Auerbach explains “But that’s the nature of memory. The events of our lives unfold linearly, but in the mental reel of these past experiences, most of the frames that haven’t been completely stolen by time are left distorted and blurred by it.” Memory is neither constant nor linear. The passage of time contributes to the categorical distortions of human’s recollections.
Wolf - ("Footsteps")
The narrator recalls, “Sometimes I’d pretend that a hideous and ravenous wolf was charging through the woods just behind me; I’d imagine what would happen if I stumbled or fell and it caught up with me, but when I concentrated too hard on keeping my balance, it would always seem to ensure that I lost it.” The wolf is symbolic of danger which motivates the narrator to hurry so he can get home in time per his mother’s rules. This wolf is tantamount to operant conditioning which activates him to depart from the woods once the dusk approaches.
