We Can Remember It for You Wholesale

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1966

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Literary Devices

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary technique which uses early sections of the text to hint at what will happen later in the story. It is used to allow the reader to develop expectations about the unfolding of the narrative or to create dramatic irony—when readers know something that characters don’t. In We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, Quail’s dreams of Mars foreshadow the importance that Mars will play in his future (or past).

However, the foreshadowing of Mars’s importance also establishes expectations which are contravened by the story. The narrative follows Quail as he regresses through his personalities, prompted by sudden recollections of real or fake memories. During these transformations, Mars is at first incredibly important as the site of Quail’s successful assassination mission, and then suddenly completely unimportant as the threat of tiny aliens overshadows the threat of a Mars-Earth conflict. The use of foreshadowing follows the same template as the narrative. It still establishes the importance of Mars, but the ironic twist is that Quail must come to terms with the consequences of a visit to Mars that he barely remembers.

Irony

Irony is a literary technique that uses language or creates a situation that means the opposite of what is expected, typically to convey wry humor. Irony in We Can Remember It for You Wholesale highlights the story’s themes. For example, there is inherent irony in McClane advising Quail to forget what happened when he visited Rekal, a company that specializes in creating and erasing memories. At the same time, this ironic piece of advice draws attention to the difficulty of separating reality from illusion in the story. Quail struggles both to forget and to remember, unable to understand whether his memories are an illusory escape from his mundane life or the reality underlying a boring illusion.

Later, when Kirsten tells Quail to make up his mind during an argument, her comment is ironic because Quail is struggling to come to terms with memories that are either of his past or a reaction to the memory implant. His mind has actually been unmade, and he must literally make it up like one would a messy bed—not at all what Kirsten means.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is a literary technique in which finding the contrast between two things creates meaning. In We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, the clearest examples of juxtaposition are the various iterations of Quail. The story begins with Quail as a dull, boring office clerk—nervous, sweaty, and unsure about his actions. In the Rekal offices, after he is given a sedative, an entirely different personality emerges: An assassin who is confident, assured, and direct. Quail’s eyes seem different, his posture changes, and the tone and delivery of his words surprises McClane because it is so distinct. The juxtaposition between the two versions of Quail shows the profound effect that past experiences can have on a person.

Satire

Satire is a literary technique which uses humor, exaggeration, or irony to highlight and critique society, people, and ideas. Satire is often used to criticize or question politics and topical matters. We Can Remember It for You Wholesale satirizes consumer society and capitalism. Rekal sells people fake memories based on their deepest desires, commodifying the comforts of escapism in much the same way fiction does. Except rather than having to project yourself into the shoes of a fictional character, Rekal enables its clients to experience being whatever they want: McClane makes it clear that Quail’s fantasies of being a superspy or the world’s most important person are not even the most outlandish he has seen. In the story, capitalism has taken over reality, and anyone with enough money can free themselves from an unfulfilling existence.