Liberation Day: Stories

Jerry (Jer) is teaching the narrator new vocabulary. The narrator, an old man, describes his experience in uneven, stilted language, as if he doesn’t have a full vocabulary yet. Jer calls the narrator “89” and teaches him words like “bastard,” “turd,” “creep,” “idiot,” “poor,” “freedom,” and “oppressor” (198-199). Jerry also teaches the narrator how to bellow loudly. Then, Jerry announces that it is time for the narrator’s first job, and he describes how important the narrator is for the mission. Jerry also tells the narrator that, throughout the job the next day, his name will be “Greg” (199).

Greg is taken to the job on a bus with several other people. He notices that there are several other Gregs in the group. At the job site, the group is given colorful clothes to replace their identical green outfits. Their supervisors then instruct them to shout at a different group opposite them; they bellow the phrase “Bastardturdcreepidiot” (201), and police look on. Afterword, Greg and the others are rewarded for their efforts with root beer.

The next day, Greg and the others are taken to a different job site, where a similar event occurs. This time, however, a physical confrontation occurs and results in several members of Greg’s group brutally beating a member of the opposition. This makes Greg uncomfortable, and he leaves the scene and finds a bathroom to hide in. When Jerry finds Greg, he is punished for his abandonment of the scene and his root beer reward is withheld; instead, Greg is given a pill that puts him to sleep.

That night, Greg awakes and thinks about these events. Certain words come to his mind that he has never learned before, such as “beat down” and “Tom’s dizzy oasis” (206). Suddenly, Greg remembers his own, real, name: Elliot Spencer. He repeats his name multiple times, and Jerry hears him; Elliot receives a “scrape test” to re-wipe his memory (207).

Elliot goes on a third job to a new site. This time, Jerry convinces Elliot to go to the opposing protestors’ side, where he is brutally beaten. As he loses consciousness, Elliot has flashbacks to his prior life, in which he had an addiction to alcohol and was living below a bridge.

Elliot wakes up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by photos. Jerry and his colleagues are pleased with Elliot’s performance at the job site and say that Elliot’s beating has been broadcast nationally; this will help to elicit support for their cause. They then explain to Elliot—whom they call Greg—that a news reporter is arriving shortly to interview Elliot on his experience as a political protester. Jerry and his colleagues feed Elliot a false story about his own life and motivations, which he is instructed to tell the reporter if asked.

The reporter, however, is suspicious of the group that has wiped Elliot’s memory and forced him to partake in political protests. When she asks Elliot whether he can remember his birthplace or any events from high school, Elliot is only able to recite back the words that he has been taught: “freedom,” “poor,” “sick,” and “oppressors” (216).

Jerry and his colleagues, Meg and Kennedy B., say that they need to re-scrape Elliot’s memory and claim that the beating has caused him brain damage. Suddenly, a series of flashbacks from Elliot’s previous life return to him: an image of his mother, his childhood dog, and a snowy day during his youth. Then, Elliot refuses to sign off on a new memory scrape, as he has realized that his entire past has been stolen from him by the brainwashing. Jerry takes Elliot outside, and Elliot asks whether he can see his mother. Jerry explains that Elliot’s mother will be dead by now. Jerry then reminds Elliot about his past life, in order to convince him to sign off on the memory re-scrape. Jerry explains that Elliot was violent, addicted to alcohol, and experiencing homelessness and volunteered for the project in order to live a better life. Jerry advises Elliot to re-scrape his memory rather than return to the desolate existence from which he was rescued.

Elliot asks Jerry for some alone time to consider. Outside, Elliot thinks more about his mother, his youth, and his ex-partner, Ruth. He realizes that both his mother and Ruth are probably dead and that he himself will die soon in his old age. However, he realizes that he wants to live the rest of his life free and with his own memories; Elliot leaves the house behind and thinks optimistically about this new path that he has chosen.