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When We Were Orphans Study Guide

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by Kazuo Ishiguro
About 44 pages (13,236 words)
When We Were Orphans Summary

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Themes

The Problem with Memory

Ishiguro delves into the mysterious nature of memory. Throughout the whole story, Christopher is consistently frustrated with the unreliability of his memory. He finds himself doubting what is fact and what his mind has fabricated. He also finds that he is unable to recall what he clearly remembered a few years ago. So, in trying to solve the mystery of his parents, he has very little to work with. On the other hand, at random moments, he recalls details that he had long forgotten.

The profound effect of memory in the way it shapes one's life is also explored. For example, he remembers his mother standing-up against the health inspector. Even he admits that he is unreliable about the details of the memory. However, whatever remained is enough to uphold the image of.....

This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 1,006 words. This study guide contains 13,236 words (approx. 44 pages at 300 words per page).

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When We Were Orphans from BookRags and Gale's For Students Series. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.



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