"Dad says, you got to take him unawares, don't say nothin to him, make him feel some pain, get out fast and keep doin it until he takes the message. Nothin like hurtin somebody to make him hear good" (269).
Throughout the story relationships are built on the incommunicable, the violent, and the separation. That is, information is shared or discovered after the fact. These discoveries then result in moments of aggression, violence, and depression. It takes Ennis years to realize why he fell sick to his stomach after parting ways with Jack. Jack gets angry with Ennis for waiting a week before telling him they can't meet up again until November. And Ennis comes to "know" that Jack was killed with a tire iron. Indeed, it seems pain makes these characters "hear good," even if it takes some time.
And so I wonder: what argument do these moments make about the nature of memory in this story?
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