Response to The Rememberer

I found this piece difficult to follow in a literal sense. It could be sci-fi but it appears to have more weight than that.  I more so understood it as a piece with multiple symbolic elements. There's a line where Ben tells Annie, "We're all getting too smart...the world dries up and dies when there's too much thought and not enough heart." This instantly reminded me of what the psychologist Sheldon Solomon said that human beings only fear death because of our intelligence to understand we will eventually die.

To me Ben is explaining he feels sad because he can to some degree anticipate his end. He wants to spend less time thinking and more time feeling and loving. Life to him loses all meaning when too much thought is put into something. Its because the life we live is too complex and void of meaning to figure out. Its intrinsic to create meaning with the heart as he feels he should. His transformation could be symbolic of death. The loss of his mind. This part also reminded me of mental illness like dementia.

The point where Annie releases Ben into the sea made me think she has come to terms with his transformations. She can no longer continue to help him and feels he will find himself and perhaps even return. I enjoy the hope given to the reader in the end. He could come back human again. But I still feel he's a goner. Who knows how many times he'll continue to transform. This must represent how we as people cope with loss. We hope that our loved one will return to their normal selves. But in the end, we hope time will eventually heal and strengthen us so we continue to live and prosper.