Essay Questions

How do flash memories reshape Brierly's life?

Brierly explicates, “In fact, the past was never far from my mind. At night, memories would flash by and I’d have trouble calming myself so I could sleep. Daytime was generally better, with lots of activity to distract me, but my mind was always busy. As a consequence of this and my determination not to forget, I have always recalled my childhood experiences in India clearly, as an almost complete picture- my family, my home, and the traumatic events surrounding my separation from them have remained fresh in my mind, sometimes in great detail.” The memories permit Brierly to undergo a Regression which activates his childhood. The regression is material for it aids Brierly not to disremember his past. All the things he witnessed and endured as a child are recorded in his unconscious; hence, he recalls them periodically at night. Moreover, the memories activate the desire to find his Indian family. Had he repressed the memories, he would not have the desire to trace them during his childhood.

How do religious variations influence Brierly's parents' matrimony?

Brierly states, “My mother, Kamla, was a Hindu and my father a Muslim-an unusual marriage at the time, and one that didn’t last long. My father spent very little time with us (l later discovered he had taken a second wife), and so my mother raised us by herself.” The religious differences contribute to incompatibility. Hindu beliefs are not similar to the Muslim ideology; hence, his parents become discordant which makes the collapse of the matrimony inevitable.