Memory and Meaning Theme Analysis

Eudora Welty’s “A Memory” illustrates how memory often imbues ordinary life with significance. In the story, the narrator recalls a morning spent on the beach as a child. The meaningfulness of this day is profoundly shaped by its connection to another memory of hers—a memory of the time she brushed the wrist of the boy she loved in the stairwell at school. This memory doesn’t simply appear in the narrative as something remote, but instead resurfaces in the present (as the narrator lies on the beach) in ways that continue to affect her. At certain times, the act of remembering seems to put her into a dreamlike trance, providing a sharp contrast between her present reality and her inner world. At other times, the memory conjures an intense emotion or sensation that the narrator carries with her through space and time, manifesting a “heavy weight of sweetness” or an unexplained feeling of happiness. And these feelings, in turn, transform the narrator’s experience on the beach, which might otherwise be considered relatively mundane. In this sense, then, the story hints that memory has the power to saturate and even shape a person’s current reality, coloring it in unexpected ways.

Interestingly enough, the story also suggests that memories can build on each other to create new layers of meaning. This is made evident by the fact that the narrator considers the ways in which her day at the beach will impact her future encounters with the boy she loves. Her memory of brushing his hand on the stairs has altered her experience of lying on the beach next to a group of unruly sunbathers, and now this beach experience itself will impact her thoughts about the boy she loves. According to the narrator, the memory of her time on the beach will now “accompany[]” and augment her memories of the boy. In this way, the story highlights the malleable nature of memory, suggesting that various recollections don’t necessarily exist independently from each other—rather, memories can mingle to create new perceptions and associations.