Though there are many topics that are highly subjective, memory, in some ways, is a bit more debatable than others. When one thinks about memory, one would generally tend to think that memories are set in stone and that it is in one’s complete control. However, these assumptions are not always true by any means. In reality, memories can easily be falsely recalled and even, in some cases, secondhandedly fabricated. In addition, one does not have control of their memory nor do they have control over what it is that they recall. Just like with many other things, memory can also go a bit haywire or even fail completely. This can be proved, not only by modern psychology, but by the depictions of memory in the writing Rats in the Walls by H.P. Lovecraft. Through this works of literature, it is proved that every aspect of memory is uncertain and unpredictable. Though this work’s depictions of memory could easily be over looked, it makes a very interesting argument as to what memory really is.

Based on a psychological point of view, memory is a phenomenon in a very grey area. Memory can also be highly inaccurate in different ways due to various reasons. For instance, it is very common for a memory to be falsely recalled, meaning that it is not remembered correctly. In these instances, a memory fails to be encoded to long term memory for several different reasons. One possibility as to why a memory is not encoded properly is distracted attention. The brain can only process and encode a memory when it is focused solely on one thing at a time. If one’s attention is divided, the memory will not be stored. As an example, if one is listening to music while they study, they will, more than likely, not remember important details about either when they try to recall that information later. Based on this observation, one can conclude that the brain can only have its full attention on one thing at a time. Consequently, a proper memory can form only when that undivided attention is present. In Lovecraft’s Rats in the Walls, this process is evident as a possibility of why de la Poer does not remember what had happened in the basement during those three hours. Because of the complexity of the horror he had discovered, his attention was extremely divided. When there is that much going on at a time, one would not remember what had happened in an entirety. With all of the men gasping at the horror, his cat going crazy, and experiencing the horror himself, de la Poer would not remember what had happened. In situations like this it is easy to lose track of time and feel as if it passed in a blur with no specific recollection as to what went on.

Not only can memory encoding be faulty when distracted, it can also be wrong because the brain has a tendency to fill in details that were missing in the original memory. This is similar to when one reads or watches something with a cliffhanger. They will speculate as to what happens after the fiction is cut off and, subsequently, begin to believe that what they came up with in their head is what happened after that cliffhanger. It is also seen in horror books and movies. The reader will never see or read about the appearance of the monster or what they did, but their mind will come up with something to satisfy that need for completion. By doing this, it tricks the brain into believing that this information is true, when in reality it was just made up in the mind. Yet again, Lovecraft’s writing also shows evidence that one’s brain will fill in details into holey memory. Because de la Poer does not remember the events that took place during the three hours, nor about how his friend died, his mind came up with a logical explanation. His brain assumed that because there were rats in the basement, that they had clearly been responsible for his friend’s body being consumed. This is yet another error in memory that proves the utter uncertainty of memory itself. This uncertainty in memory is terrifying when one thinks about it because it means that one cannot fully trust their own memories.

In the last instance regarding inaccurate recollection and incorrect encoding of memories, it is shown explained that certain details of memories can become mixed up. This is usually found in situations that are classified as stressful or dangerous. For instance, if someone is robbed, they will be asked to identify a suspect as their attacker. While people will generally correctly remember a general appearance, their recollection of their attacker’s finer physical qualities will be looked over. Instead of knowing for certain the suspect’s eye color, the victim would believe that they remember brown eyes when in reality, the real attacker’s eyes are blue.  De la Poer also could have fallen victim to this error in memory. When he realized that there were indeed rats in the walls and in the basement, he believed that they had eaten his friend because they were there on his body when he finally regained his sanity. Ultimately his confusion led to his whole-hearted belief that the rats were responsible for his friend’s death. This process is obviously transferable to countless other situations and it proves that memory, although commonly trusted, is seriously unreliable. 

Another way in which memory can drastically fail is by a process called memory repression. A repressed memory is a memory of an experience in which one chooses not to remember as a form of coping. Although when one represses a memory, they “forget” whatever it is that happened, they do not truly loose that memory, but rather push it to the back of their mind so that they do not relive that specific memory. Despite not really loosing that memory, when asked about that experience, that person will have no recollection of the event ever taking place. Repressed memories are typically found in people who have experienced an extremely traumatic life incident such as childhood abuse, the loss of a loved one or witnessing the death of someone you know. Although there is no definition as to what the word “traumatic” means to everyone as a whole, it is clear that everyone has a mental breaking point. Once one hits this point, they can no longer process or fathom the situation at hand. 

This situation is seen in Lovecraft’s writing when de la Poer does not remember his three hours in the basement of the priory, nor does he remember what happened to his friend Noyes. He simply believes that it was the rats that ate his friend, not himself in a fit of cannibalistic hunger. This all comes about due to de la Poer’s inability to understand the atrocities committed by his ancestors beneath the priory, which is his mental breaking point. Because of the atrocities then committed by de la Poer himself, he did not want to remember what he did to the man he called a friend, so he repressed that memory, along with all the details of what had exactly happened in the time he was in the basement. Instead of remembering what really happened, he places the blame of his friend’s death on the rats. By repressing this memory, de la Poer is saving himself from the pain, grief and guilt that comes along as consequence for his actions. 

As one can see, memory is a very subjective yet interesting topic to discuss. The interesting aspect of memory is not how it happens as a whole, but in how memory can go wrong and fails in so many ways. Those errors in memory really make one question whether or not they can trust their own memory. Memory truly is unreliable and unpredictable yet it is not generally thought to be so. This statement was strongly supported by the work Rats in the Walls by H.P. Lovecraft. In conclusion, memory is a very grey area in which there is not just one reason for a false memory, but infinite possibilities as to how a memory came to be incorrect.  The fact that memory is not set in stone or controllable is daunting and unnerving to even consider. 
