Memoria Ex Machina Analysis

Emilee Thomas 11/7/10 “Mrs. Caldera’s House of Things” and the narrative from “Memoria ex Machina” reveal that possessions bring back fond memories of a person’s life. In Passage I, Mrs. Caldera keeps many useless objects that are cluttering her house. The author states, “She is humming a song from childhood, her arms are heavy and strong they have held babies, a husband, tractor parts and gas tanks, what have they not found a place for?” These objects are important to her because they give her comfort, happiness, and remind of her of the past times she loved. The author states, “‘Stay awhile,’ Mrs. Caldera says, and never have you felt so valuable.” Mrs. Caldera considers the items she keeps as precious and valuable;
by asking the visitor to stay, it shows the visitor is valued by her. In Passage II, the author received a Seiko watch for his bar mitzvah. The narrator states, “I haven’t seen my watch for twenty years, but I still hear that buzz, feel its vibrations on my wrist…” Even though the author did not physically still own the watch, the memory of wearing it brought back the joy of getting it for his bar mitzvah. The watch he received at this Jewish ceremony brings him back to the time when he entered into manhood. “Mrs. Caldera’s House of Things” and the narrative from “Memoria ex Machina” convey that possessions people cherish allow them to remember past life experiences.