Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the Importance of Memory
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman is a worldwide famous film that makes its audience question the importance of our memories and the identity that these memories create for us. It is a film that toys with the possibility of erasing hurtful and unwanted thoughts from one’s mental record. Memories and experiences are the very things that make us who we are. Without the recollection of our past, we are merely a blank slate. Nothing has yet been made of ourselves. In essence, memories are the core to all identity. Without an identity, all individuality is lost and everyone would be indistinguishable. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind illustrates …show more content…
But change can be an ambiguous term. If we discuss Aristotle’s view on “change” he claims that there are two kinds. Accidental change and essential change. Essential changes occur when something ceases to exist, however accidental changes are not significant enough to end something’s existence. In the case of this film, Clementine underwent an accidental change. This means that her identity has been altered but not to the point where they would be unrecognizable. Essentially, Clementine would be back to the same person she was before the procedure if everything had gone accordingly. Another scholar that shares the same theory as John Locke is Jenny Diski. “The Me Who Knew It,” is an essay written by Diski about the parallel between memory and identity in the film Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. Diski explores “the compelling feeling that we are our memories” and views the production as a representation of the idea that people are “the accumulation of their experience[s].” Diski’s explanation of memory is one that is closely tied to the understanding of one’s self. According to Diski, the characters in this thought provoking film, are “plagued by identity terrors,” directly connected to the absence of their memory. Identity terrors are a personal crisis that lead the character to question themselve. Clementine came out of the procedure in a worse state than she was with all of the “hurtful” memories of Joel.” Clementine in particular “enters a state of panic, shouting at her new partner in an attempt to explain her behaviour” (Gemma King). Clementine doesn’t know why she is acting the way she is, she “[she] feels lost. [she is] scared. [she feels] like [she is] disappearing . . . nothing makes sense to her”. At this point in time after the procedure one could tell that Clementine is suffering from the discontinuity of her remembrance. The result of Clementine erasing her memory is her idea of losing her sense of self. “This recalls
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman is a worldwide famous film that makes its audience question the importance of our memories and the identity that these memories create for us. It is a film that toys with the possibility of erasing hurtful and unwanted thoughts from one’s mental record. Memories and experiences are the very things that make us who we are. Without the recollection of our past, we are merely a blank slate. Nothing has yet been made of ourselves. In essence, memories are the core to all identity. Without an identity, all individuality is lost and everyone would be indistinguishable. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind illustrates …show more content…
But change can be an ambiguous term. If we discuss Aristotle’s view on “change” he claims that there are two kinds. Accidental change and essential change. Essential changes occur when something ceases to exist, however accidental changes are not significant enough to end something’s existence. In the case of this film, Clementine underwent an accidental change. This means that her identity has been altered but not to the point where they would be unrecognizable. Essentially, Clementine would be back to the same person she was before the procedure if everything had gone accordingly. Another scholar that shares the same theory as John Locke is Jenny Diski. “The Me Who Knew It,” is an essay written by Diski about the parallel between memory and identity in the film Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. Diski explores “the compelling feeling that we are our memories” and views the production as a representation of the idea that people are “the accumulation of their experience[s].” Diski’s explanation of memory is one that is closely tied to the understanding of one’s self. According to Diski, the characters in this thought provoking film, are “plagued by identity terrors,” directly connected to the absence of their memory. Identity terrors are a personal crisis that lead the character to question themselve. Clementine came out of the procedure in a worse state than she was with all of the “hurtful” memories of Joel.” Clementine in particular “enters a state of panic, shouting at her new partner in an attempt to explain her behaviour” (Gemma King). Clementine doesn’t know why she is acting the way she is, she “[she] feels lost. [she is] scared. [she feels] like [she is] disappearing . . . nothing makes sense to her”. At this point in time after the procedure one could tell that Clementine is suffering from the discontinuity of her remembrance. The result of Clementine erasing her memory is her idea of losing her sense of self. “This recalls