Inescapable

" There is too much fear in him and too much guilt. He has buried it all, and yet it is still there, worrying him like a dog worrying a rag." (304)

Phillip K. Dick's "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon" is built upon the dichotomy of memory and reality. In a world in which aging is something that can be halted and thus it is common for people to live far beyond 200 years, Victor Keannings remains haunted by two memories: the memory of his first wife who later leave him and the memory of a day when he was a boy and helped his cat eat a bird.  The quote above indicates that Dick's argument is that we as humans are defined by things in our memory that have struck us and that have hurt us, and that these effects are permanent. In the quote, it is also important to note that even though Keannings has "buried" these two memories, they still exist within him. Thus, Dick's argument also incorporates the idea that we cannot consciously choose which parts of our past affect us. 

Discussion Question: How do these two specific memories affect each other within the realm of Keannings psyche?