We Can Remember It for You Wholesale

“After all, an illusion, no matter how convincing, remained nothing more than an illusion.” 

The disparity between illusions and reality is a central idea in the story. Before visiting Rekal, Quail thinks he understands reality. But given the choice to escape his boring, miserable life, Quail jumps at the chance—and his decision fractures the nature of reality for the characters and for readers. The substantive reality for Quail now depends on whatever illusions are implanted in his mind. 

“He rose, came over to shake Quail’s nervous, moist hand.” 

Quail is a nervous and awkward office clerk. When he meets a smooth-talking businessman like McClane, Quail is intimidated, quickly buying Rekal’s implant package despite concerns about its cost. However, as soon as Quail becomes his next incarnation, a government-trained assassin, he will completely change his demeanor, fully embracing a false reality that shows the efficacy of the fake memories. 

“Ersatz interplanetary travel has become our bread and butter.”

The slick, pre-packaged nature of the Rekal products illustrates the way in which complicated scientific procedures have become commodified in the story’s world. Memory implant technology is incredibly advanced, but it’s used to sell gimmicky escapist fantasies, as McClane combines memory modules to fulfill generic, not particularly original client desires—just as the worst of genre fiction can rely on recycled tropes and clichés. These memory packages are inherently unreal and “ersatz” (7), but they satisfy customers who expect to never be challenged by the entertainment they consume. 

“They had a polished, inorganic quality, like semi-precious tumbled stones.” 

While under the sedative, Quail’s eyes harden and take on the appearance of gems. Like his eyes, Quail’s memories are revealed to also be polished and inorganic—the only problem is determining which ones have been made in a lab, the ones confirming Quail’s every secret wish about himself, or the ones in which he leads a mundane life. 

“Act as if you don’t remember; pretend it never took place.” 

McClane is a self-interested salesman. When he discovers the truth about Quail’s past, he tries to protect his business interests. For a man whose business empire is built on implanting false memories in people’s minds, there is an irony to McClane advising that anyone forget their past. Rather than helping Quail, McClane would rather ignore the incident and “pretend it never took place” (11). 

“Make up your mind.” 

The irony of Kirsten’s angry comment is that Quail has undergone so much memory modification that his mind has literally been unmade. Quail’s memories are a hastily engineered smear of truths and lies, so Kirsten’s comment unintentionally describes exactly what Quail is going through. 

“Unfortunately you’re not plain, not dull, and you’ve already had too much excitement.” 

Quail begins the story wishing that he was a more interesting person, and just like a character in a fairy tale, he instantly gets his wish. Quail’s interesting past becomes a danger to him in his present; as a secret agent, both Interplan and Mars want him dead. Unwilling to work so hard at this new identity, Quail will soon shift to a new fantasy: Just by existing, he is actually the most important man in the world.

“He knew darn well they did.” 

The narration of the short story is empathetic to Quail’s perspective. Quail knows “darn well” that the people with guns pointed at him are Interplan agents and more memories about Interplan’s practices return to him gradually. However, the irony of Quail’s slowly returning memories is that he cannot be sure about anything. He now claims to know about Interplan and the agents, but Quail’s reality changes on a regular basis. He may well know something for sure in this moment, but this certainty could change within minutes. Quail cannot know anything “darn well” (14). 

“A semi-bird imported from Mars’s two moons, capable of soaring flight, even against Earth’s huge gravity.”

The imported birds are a metaphor for the struggle to exist on Earth. Like Quail at the beginning of the story, they yearn to escape and fly toward freedom. Their “soaring flight” (15) symbolizes Quail’s desire to go to Mars, while the increased gravity of Earth is a symbol of the weight which Quail feels keeps him pinned to his mundane life as a clerk. 

“We’ll have to destroy you. As you must understand.” 

As Quail struggles to separate reality from illusions, he strikes a bargain with the Interplan commanders to build an even more satisfying reality with memory implants or die trying.

“I’m in effect, then, the most important person on Terra.” 

Quail’s supposed memory of preventing an alien invasion is so appealing to him because it allows him to be passively important. The aliens like Quail so much that they agree not to invade while he is still alive, meaning that Quail protects the Earth simply by existing. He does not have to exert any energy, accomplish any goal, or do anything other than be himself. Unlike his life as a spy, Quail is not in danger. Unlike his life as a clerk, Quail is important. Quail’s fantasy (or new reality) allows him to indulge his deepest desires. 

“It’s the most grandiose fantasy I ever ran across.” 

The Interplan agents, the psychiatrist, and the Rekal staff judge Quail’s fantasy as narcissistic and pious: The idea of a child stopping aliens bent on wholesale genocide through his innate goodness is absurd. However, they do not stop Quail from indulging his “grandiose fantasy” (18). Once again, the lines between reality and illusion have been blurred and those who were previously invested in one version of reality must readjust to Quail’s desires.

“McClane mumbled, perspiring.” 

Earlier in the story, Quail came to McClane as a mild-mannered office clerk. His meeting with the Rekal representative made him nervous and, when they shook hands, Quail was sweating. By the end of the story, their positions have changed. Quail is the self-assured secret agent, assassin, and protector of the Earth, while McClane is sweaty and nervous. The emotional change in the two men is reflected in a physical change.