Dave's Neckliss
Using William James to help you conceptualize the idea of the self, discuss the function of memory in “Dave’s Neckliss.”
In Dave’s Neckliss, the function of memory in relation to William James’ self is quite self-evident. William James says that to remember something from our past, our memories must be triggered by a “cue”, which functions as a reminder in order to start the recollection process. Therefore, the 'cue' decides how many potential memories could be associated with a specific point. In Chestnut’s “Dave’s Neckliss” Uncle Julius’ frail memory was activated by Annie’s “…. large, sugar-cured ham” pg. 89. Uncle Julius was reminded of a memory, which came to him as a brief passing moment while eating the ham and caused a tear to roll down his cheek. The linking of cue to memory is the thinking aspect. Therefore, if we focus clearly on the correlation, the connected entity will surely be likely to stay within our memory as it did with Uncle Julius.
A few things trigger the function of memory in Dave’s Neckliss. First, we see “…. The conditions were all favorable to storytelling. There was an autumnal languor in the air, and a dreamy haze softened the dark green…. pg.90. In my opinion, these current weather conditions that Uncle Julius was speaking about also reminded him of the story he was about to tell. According to James’ writings, the connection between the climate and the ham in this case explains both the general preservation and the special recollection of the memory. Later on, we witness the differences in how John and Annie remember the past versus how Uncle Julius remembers it. “…. The simple but intensely human inner life of slavery. His way of looking at the past seemed very strange to us; his view of certain sides of life was essentially different from ours.” pg. 90. Uncle Julius recollection of his past was understandably different from that of John and...
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