2. When the unnamed narrator used to take a particular meal to her father's observatory as an excuse to spend time with him there, what meal did she always bring?

3. R comes over to the unnamed narrator's house in Chapter 8 for what reason?

4. The unnamed narrator's mother and father had liked to meet at what location during their courtship?

5. How many of the Memory Police's "dark green trucks with canvas covers in back" (20) are present at the raid in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss an instance when Ogawa uses a metaphor or simile to describe R's ability to hold onto memories of disappeared objects.

2. For what reason does R at first reject the narrator's offer of help in Chapter 10?

3. What information is revealed in Chapter 5 about the narrator's mother and her interactions with the Memory Police?

4. At what sight do the narrator and the old man gaze during their discussion of the Memory Police in Chapter 7?

5. What type of artist was the unnamed narrator's mother and why is this detail significant?

6. Once R agrees to accept the narrator's offer to hide him, what instructions does she give him?

7. What does the pair of light blue gloves symbolize, from the narrator's perspective?

8. What is named as "the first duty of the Memory Police" (14)?

9. Discuss an instance when Ogawa uses a metaphor or simile to demonstrate the desolation that begins to characterize the island after many disappearances.

10. For what reason does the narrator visit R's office in Chapter 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Perform a biographical criticism of The Memory Police by researching Ogawa's life and work. Be sure to create a strong and specific claim focused on this particular book and then support that claim with quotes from the book and from your research of Ogawa.