25 pages • 50 minutes read
Aimee BenderThe Rememberer
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 2002A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
In Medias Res
“In medias res” is a Latin term that means “in the midst of things.” Bender chooses to start “The Rememberer” in the middle of her tale when Annie tells the reader at the beginning of the story that “It’s been a month” (Paragraph 1) since Ben’s reverse evolution began. She tells the story of his transformation in flashbacks.
This method of dropping the reader into the center of the story’s conflict is a literary technique many writers use to engage their audience. The writer then works to share the chain of events that led up to the story’s opening moment of action, bouncing between the present day and flashbacks.
When a story’s plot begins in medias res, there is also a sense of urgency for both the characters and the reader. Annie admits she hasn’t shared what is happening to Ben with anyone, but in the opening sentence, it’s clear she’s about to reveal what led up to this bizarre occurrence to the reader. This creates a feeling of trust between Annie and the reader, as well as a strong desire to know more.
Verisimilitude
A story has verisimilitude if it resembles ordinary life. For a story to fall into the genre of fabulism as “The Rememberer” does, it must have this quality. Despite all of the strange and otherworldly events that occur in the story, Annie’s environment is true to life. She goes to work every weekday. She lives in an apartment with her lover. She fields phone calls from concerned coworkers about what has happened to Ben, and then experiences isolation when everyone stops calling. She lives near a community college and the beach. The reverse evolution her lover is experiencing defies logic, but every other detail that surrounds Annie and Ben is congruent with everyday life.
Flashback
A flashback is a scene that takes the reader to an earlier point in the story. If Annie’s narrative took place entirely in the present, it would be harder for the reader to understand the intensity of the pain she feels when releasing Ben into the sea. The use of flashbacks allows the reader to have greater sympathy for the current situation Annie is navigating and deeper insight into who she is as a character. As the story dips in and out of the past, Annie reveals how overwhelmed and worried about modern life Ben has been, her devotion to him and her desperation about him, and the great lengths she goes to in order to take care of him as he experiences reverse evolution. Without the use of flashbacks, these crucial details would have been difficult to convey effectively. Finally, in a story called “The Rememberer,” the use of flashbacks shows what Annie ultimately becomes—the person who keeps Ben alive through her memories of him.
