Eternal Acceptance of the Present Mind
Throughout the play, “The Valley” written by Joan MacLeod, there is a definite denial and avoidance theme taking place within all the relationships, but mostly there is a lack of acceptance for what is really happening in each of their lives. In the drama, by Charlie
Kaufman, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind”, there is also a similar theme of unacceptance among the main characters Joel and Clementine, although they are lacking acceptance for themselves, and each other.
In “The Valley”, the characters are in denial of the present situations that are taking place in their lives and they are seeking to find past memories to deal with their present reality.
Whereas, in the “Eternal Sunshine …show more content…
As a result, by the end of both dramas the characters learn that the present moment is easier to deal with and accept than the alternative: to deny the present or erase the past.
In the screenplay by Kaufman, Lacuna is the company that erases the memories the characters no longer want. It is a simple way to deal with a situation or a person without being required to accept what has happened, in this case with Joel and Clementine, their situation was they broke up. After Clementine walked out on Joel, she immediately decided to have him erased without his knowledge. When Joel found out from his friends that
Clementine had him erased, he decided the only way he could deal with Clementine not knowing him, was erasing her from his memory.
While Joel’s memories were being erased, Mary, a secretary at the Lacuna quoted,
“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of our blunders”. (64) It is such a perfect quote and applicable to both dramas: forgetting can be a blessing as it allows us to keep growing in the moment, having the ability to let go while moving on to the next moment. Memories keep us stuck and don’t allow us to move on, but once the moment …show more content…
Although their memories are erased there are still impulses that they feel unconsciously and reactions that the body has imprinted from the experiences that they have had together. Which is similar to what Janie experiences, it is not only the memories that she has but also the impulses and the reactions she has from the situations and environments that she was exposed to in her past. Once the characters in “The Valley” could accept who they are at the moment and move out of the past and accept their present situations, the healing and growth could begin; once they were able to understand that they are not their memories and that their personal identity is not defined by what they are experiencing. At the end of Kaufman’s drama, both characters listened to all the negative thoughts they recorded about each other prior to their memories being erased.
Although, that is how they thought they felt, it is not a fair assessment of their relationship or of each other as at the time they were working with limited knowledge of themselves and the relationship. While Joel was having his memory erased it was very clear that the things
Throughout the play, “The Valley” written by Joan MacLeod, there is a definite denial and avoidance theme taking place within all the relationships, but mostly there is a lack of acceptance for what is really happening in each of their lives. In the drama, by Charlie
Kaufman, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind”, there is also a similar theme of unacceptance among the main characters Joel and Clementine, although they are lacking acceptance for themselves, and each other.
In “The Valley”, the characters are in denial of the present situations that are taking place in their lives and they are seeking to find past memories to deal with their present reality.
Whereas, in the “Eternal Sunshine …show more content…
As a result, by the end of both dramas the characters learn that the present moment is easier to deal with and accept than the alternative: to deny the present or erase the past.
In the screenplay by Kaufman, Lacuna is the company that erases the memories the characters no longer want. It is a simple way to deal with a situation or a person without being required to accept what has happened, in this case with Joel and Clementine, their situation was they broke up. After Clementine walked out on Joel, she immediately decided to have him erased without his knowledge. When Joel found out from his friends that
Clementine had him erased, he decided the only way he could deal with Clementine not knowing him, was erasing her from his memory.
While Joel’s memories were being erased, Mary, a secretary at the Lacuna quoted,
“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of our blunders”. (64) It is such a perfect quote and applicable to both dramas: forgetting can be a blessing as it allows us to keep growing in the moment, having the ability to let go while moving on to the next moment. Memories keep us stuck and don’t allow us to move on, but once the moment …show more content…
Although their memories are erased there are still impulses that they feel unconsciously and reactions that the body has imprinted from the experiences that they have had together. Which is similar to what Janie experiences, it is not only the memories that she has but also the impulses and the reactions she has from the situations and environments that she was exposed to in her past. Once the characters in “The Valley” could accept who they are at the moment and move out of the past and accept their present situations, the healing and growth could begin; once they were able to understand that they are not their memories and that their personal identity is not defined by what they are experiencing. At the end of Kaufman’s drama, both characters listened to all the negative thoughts they recorded about each other prior to their memories being erased.
Although, that is how they thought they felt, it is not a fair assessment of their relationship or of each other as at the time they were working with limited knowledge of themselves and the relationship. While Joel was having his memory erased it was very clear that the things