The Rememberer

Despite his angst, Ben is something of a flat character, at least in the sense that readers do not get too much information about his internal world. His complexity is depicted in such a way that he seems to be a character type, like a cross between the archetypes of the rebel and the sage. He pontificates about the stars and dreams, and he chastises humanity for being too smart. He bemoans a world without “enough heart” (Paragraph 7). His sense of isolation from the rest of civilization manifests in a literal isolation from humanity as he devolves into different animal states. Although the story references Ben’s clients, it appears he has no close relationships other than he has with Annie. At a certain point, Ben’s character tells us more about Annie than about Ben.

Ben’s physical transformation puts both real and metaphorical distance between him and Annie. When Ben is an ape, Annie notes that his sad look is the same as it was when he was human. However, when Ben becomes a sea turtle, she notes the change in his eyes. They look like “little droplets of tar” (Paragraph 3). Finally, when he becomes a salamander, Annie no longer sees any traces of Ben. Once Ben becomes something Annie can no longer recognize, his character seems to have served its purpose. As Ben’s character creates distance from Annie because they become literally different species, Annie eventually becomes able to establish physical distance.