Essay Questions

What is the significance of the title 'Rememberer'?

The title of this story reflects the main theme, which is memories. Anne is the protagonist and narrator of this story because she recounts every memory she had with her lover, Ben, a unique creature. After all, he evolves backward. Ben's story reminds the reader of the history of human evolution. When Anne comes home from work, she finds out that Ben is looking like an Ape, but she assumes that his normal physical state would return. However, things continue to worsen because Ben further evolves into a turtle and, lastly, a sea salamander. Since Anne realizes that Ben would never return to his initial physical state, she takes him to the sea where he can float and what is left of her is just memories of Ben.

Why is Ben evolving backward?

Ben is not happy to be human because he does not like the pretense of people. Ben is annoyed with the world and the way people think. The interest of people is to enrich themselves while hurting others. Ben does not want to belong to the category of human beings who are hypocrites. He wants to make Anne a delightful woman, but he is not happy himself. Therefore, Ben thinks that human beings are becoming more cruel, unreasonable, and inhumane as time goes by. Consequently, he decides to evolve backward to search for peace of mind. Ben believes that the first creatures from where man evolved were more humane, and he wants to go back.

What distinguishes Anne from other human beings?

Ann is depicted as the most patient human being ever lived. The reader fails to comprehend why a woman like Anne would still stay with a man transforming into different creatures. Many people would assume that Ben is a magician when he transforms into an ape, salamander, and turtle. However, Anne knows that her man is evolving backward, and she keeps hoping that one day he will return to his standard shape, something that never happened. Therefore, the love between Anne and Ben is so vital to the extent that they can continue living together in whatever form.