Memory and the Past

The author uses Maali’s amnesia following his mysterious death in order to instigate his explorations concerning the emotional complexities associated with memory and the past. When Maali first enters the In Between, he is convinced he is dreaming. Reluctant to believe his spirit guides’ insistence that he is dead, Maali initially remains attached to Down There, because he wants to continue controlling his life. In “First Moon,” Dr. Ranee encourages him to get the Ear Check, because, she says, “Your ears have patterns as personal as your fingerprints. The folds show past traumas, the lobes reveal sins, the cartilage hides guilt. All things that prevent you from entering The Light” (9). These unresolved traumas, ills, and regrets from Maali’s past are therefore keeping him in the In Between. His repressed and inaccessible memories are fostering his inability to let go of the...