The Longest Memory: Forgetting Summary & Analysis

Whitechapel begins an imaginary conversation with his son, Chapel. He tells Chapel that, because of his biracial nature, part of him was free whereas the other one had to be a slave. He admits that he knew that Chapel was made to be free, because it was in his blood. He justifies himself for betraying his son, though, by saying that he valued Chapel’s life more than his happiness. His action still tortures him, though, and he concludes he was not a good enough father.

Whitechapel admits that he heard Chapel call Lydia’s name in his dreams and found Chapel’s sexual desire healthy, but realizes admits there is a lot he didn’t know about Chapel’s dreams and desires. He wonders if he should have told him about the two races in his blood and prepared him for another life, but feels lost when he realizes that he only knows life as a slave on a plantation. When he revealed his son’s whereabouts to Mr. Whitechapel, Whitechapel wondered at the time if he was doing something wrong—a fear that came true, since his attempts to protect his son ultimately proved futile.

Whitechapel concludes that he has been wrong all his life, and that he would need several lives to make things right, though he does not even know if he could figure out how. He wonders how long slavery will exist, and whether masters will always be able to rule over their slaves. He feels exhausted and finds himself unable to see or speak, soon feeling the presence of death in his body. He concludes that he wants to rest and forget, arguing that memory is merely the survival of pain.