Essay on Memento (2000): Examining Leonard's Actions in the Psychological Thriller

Memento is an American film that premiered back in 2000. It is considered a psychological thriller centered around the life of Leonard. The main character is a man suffering from anterograde amnesia, which is a condition associated with the immediate loss of memory. It is this problem that presents the controversy that dominates the film regarding personality. The objective of this essay is to evaluate Leonard’s experiences and to determine whether his actions are justified. The excerpt presents the conflicting theoretical perspectives that attempt to ascertain the difference and similarity between Leonard’s life before and during anterograde amnesia.

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Some theoretical postulates ascertain that occurrences such as those depicted in the film imply that Leonard is the same person throughout the entire period depicted in the film. The analogy of the continuity of the body is founded on the fact that an individual will have the same material characteristics over time, which makes them the same person as before (Noonan 99). This notion does not recognize the duality nature of personality. In this case, Leonard is the same person throughout the film because he has the same DNA, same fingerprints, and the same body all through and cannot be considered as a different individual despite the changes in his memory capacity.

It is important to note that the above theoretical perspectives bodily continuity or sameness of the body is problematic. Philosophers such as Roderick Chisholm have argued that the material characteristics of nonliving things could directly be used to understand the sameness of living things. However, this ignores the issue of identity, which is a primary component of personality (Speaks 4). Whenever the identity issue is left out while describing a person, then a significant portion of what constitutes personality is ignored. For example, if Leonard is viewed in terms of sameness of the body, his new state associated with lost memories and inability to retain new ones are left out. However, it is his current situation or condition that informs his present experiences, encounters, and behaviors.

On the other hand, emerging philosophical theories support that Leonard is not the same person based on the events that characterize his life in the film. Descartes is among those who refuted the sameness of the body. Locke also subscribes to a similar analogy, which has been criticized (Speaks 4). According to the scholar, the dualism of human existence is a key factor to be accommodated when reviewing how a person changes with time (Noonan 99; Quinn 103). In this case, the body and the mental state are different entities with the latter impacting someone’s personality or identity at a higher percentage when compared to the material aspects. In this case, Leonard is no longer the same person he was before he was diagnosed with the loss of memory and the subsequent inability to immediately remember what has transpired. Leonard could only be considered the same person if it was possible to identify a link between

Moreover, is essential to highlight that the psychological continuity theory is equally problematic. Scholars have argued that the controversy associated with this theoretical perspective is the notion of interactionism. Proponents of this theory agree that there is a causal relationship between the mind and the body such that decisions made leads to physical behaviors such as walking or killing someone. Taking a look at this scenario contradicts the independent existence of human duality (Quinn 103). If at all the body and the mind are independent, then there should be no causal relationship. As seen from the film, Leonard has bits and pieces of his memories, which partly contributes to his decisions and subsequent physical action.

According to the film, my view is that Leonard is partly the same person and partly not the same person based on the events of the film. He still has bits of memories about his family, whether accurate or false, that motivates his action. Although he has a problem with immediate memory, Leonard remembers a significant portion of his past, especially about his wife’s death. At the same time, he is a different person from whom he was previously since he cannot remember immediate events. It is this limitation that makes it possible for other people to manipulate him. Nevertheless, amid his inability to have immediate memory, he still remembers to continue pursuing the person who ‘murdered’ his wife. Therefore, Leonard should not be held accountable for killing the wrong man but attention should be drawn to his current mental capacity of being unable to remember immediate events.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Memento film presented a controversial psychology concept that has remained unresolved for years. The film presented the life of a character who could be considered as the same person or a different person through time altogether depending on underpinning theoretical affiliations. However, based on my analysis, Leonard cannot be entirely considered as a different person while at the same time he cannot be fully judged as the same person through the period exhibited in the film. In this case, he cannot be held accountable for murder owing to his inability to build consensus with immediate memory.

Works Cited

Noonan, Harold W. “Personal Identity and Bodily Continuity: A Further Note on 'The Self and the Future'.” Analysis, vol. 43, no. 2, 1983, pp. 98–104. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3327889. Accessed 16 May 2020.

Quinn, Philip L. “Personal Identity, Bodily Continuity, and Resurrection.” International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, vol. 9, no. 2, 1978, pp. 101–113. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40024197. Accessed 16 May 2020.

Speaks, Jeff. Locke’s psychological theory of personal identity. Jeff Speaks Education. 2006. https://www3.nd.edu/~jspeaks/courses/2006-7/20208/locke-personal-identity.pdf Accessed 16 May 2020.