We Can Remember it for You Wholesale - Essay Example

A group of officers comes to assassinate him, but he escapes. He later turns himself in on the condition that instead of killing him they implant a different memory. The memory that is to be implanted is that he has saved the world by being a humanitarian to a group of miniature invaders who will destroy Earth only after he dies. When they go to implant this false memory they discover that is actually true. The central idea is the nature of truth and reality in relation to memory. Quail exhibits a great degree of character shifts; he goes from meek and humble, to the strong-willed and power persona of an assassin.

The central external conflict is the Quail’s escaping his desire for adventure and the reality of his time on Mars. The main internal conflict is his struggle to have a life of adventure implanted into his mind. The main point of view of the story is that of the narrator; in these regards, both Quail’s perspective and occurrences that happen when he is unconscious occur. The setting occurs predominantly at Rekal Inc., but also extends to Quail’s home and the surrounding area.

The literary techniques implemented in the story are highly minimal. In these regards, Dick relays the story in a straight forward narrative, with perhaps the story functioning as a metaphor on reality and memory. The overarching tone is one of excitement and adventure.