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Achebe’s novel conveys the importance of remembering past cultural practices and

histories as a way to reclaim and reshape the future in the face of colonial domination. As

Achebe writes, “The white man is very clever... he has put a knife on the things that held us
together and we have fallen apart” (Achebe, 1958, p. 176). This passage reveals how the

destruction of collective memory through colonialism leads to the fragmentation of identity

and society, underscoring the novel’s message that preserving cultural memory is vital to
sustaining identity and resisting the erasure of history.

Literature often explores how trauma can shape memory, and how trauma, when left
unexamined or suppressed, can haunt individuals and communities, influencing the future.

In texts dealing with the aftermath of war, displacement, or other forms of violence,

memory becomes both a site of pain and a potential space for healing. In Toni Morrison’s

Beloved, the character of Sethe is haunted by the traumatic memory of her past as a slave.
The novel centers on the haunting effect of memory, as Sethe’s past literally returns to her

in the form of her deceased daughter, Beloved, who is symbolically resurrected to force

Sethe to confront her buried trauma. Morrison uses the past to emphasize the long-lasting
effects of historical trauma, showing how the act of remembering becomes an essential step

toward healing and breaking free from the chains of the past. Memory in this case is not an

act of nostalgia but a confrontation with history that allows for personal growth and

renewal. As Morrison writes, “It was not a story to pass on,” pointing to the way trauma
resists narrative closure (Morrison, 1987, p. 192). Acknowledging and preserving the past,

then, is essential not only for individual liberation but also for collective healing.

While memory is often linked to preserving the past, literature also demonstrates that

memory can be a tool for envisioning and constructing the future. By examining how

individuals and societies remember—or forget—past events, literature reveals how
narratives of the past can be reshaped to offer new possibilities for the future. Memory, in

this sense, is not a passive process; it is active and reconstructive, opening pathways for

reimagining the future.