| Kazuo Ishiguro,a Japanese British novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017,has presented a deep concern for memory in his published works.At present,the domestic and foreign research on the subject of memory has been abundant,the analysis of individual’s memory dilemma is still lack of attention.The thesis focuses on the three most representative novels,exploring the individual’s memory dilemma.The first chapter discusses individuals’ memory strategies and exposes the nature of memory selection,which are analyzed from self-deception,memory-seeking under collective forgetting,and memory-restoring defamiliarization.The second chapter discusses the individual’s memory dilemma,analyzing how the individual’s selective memory affects the validity of individual identity and national memory,and the influence upon non-human narrator’s memory.The third chapter concludes Kazuo Ishiguro’s hints on the ways to solve the above-mentioned dilemma in terms of power relations and cultural metaphor.Self-deceiving individuals may attempt to recognize and reconcile with their past;ethnic groups should promote the exchange and integration of individual memories,so as to promote the harmonious dialogue and forgiveness.The imperfect non-human narrator has been as close to reliable memory as possible,and although Klara’s memory of human beings is influenced by robot structure and human emotions,it constitutes an examination and satire of human’s existing plight and paves the way to create accurate memories.To conclude,the exploration of memory dilemma reveals the tendency to avoid negative memories and the difficulty in constructing reliable memories.The memory dilemmas above showcase an individual’s marginalized living situation and Ishiguro’s attitude towards the discomfort in the process of social transformation,the history of violent conflicts between nations,and the reflection upon the uniqueness of humanity. |
