Essay Questions

What is the underlying meaning of the typist?

The typist is essentially a version of the protagonist herself, told from her own perspective but as a secondary character. The typist is trapped by her lover in a building – similarly, the protagonist is trapped by the Memory police on the island. The typist feels alone and unable to speak – the Protagonist too feels repressed in her voice so conveys her feelings through writing about the typist. The two and inherently intertwined because they are one and the same.

What happens to the protagonist?

The protagonist eventually ends up disappearing. The narrator describes it through the loss of her body parts and eventually her entire being. This is meant to symbolize the idea that the protagonist is yet another victim of the Memory Police and could not escape her life.