History and Memory- the Fiftieth Gate

"History and memory is inevitably selective and partial." Analyse how this is demonstrated in your prescribed text and two related texts of your own choosing.

History and memory is inevitably selective and partial. History can be viewed as factual evidence of the happenings of the past that challenges traditional historical discourse, whereas memory is influenced by suggestion, emotions and the senses which makes it highly subjective, and affects the way in which it is perceived. We are shown this throughout the prescribed text, The Fiftieth Gate, through Baker's quest to reconstruct his parent's experiences in the holocaust. This concept has also been demonstrated through the related texts the website, 'Erika Van Hesteren tells her Story' and 'Eyes Wide Shut' a feature article by Steven Bach.

Our culture is led to believe that history is, at its best, an unbiased account of the past whereas memory is highly subjective and affects the way in which it is perceived. Baker overturns these pre-conceived notions by suggesting that both history and memory are imperfect representations of the past and are inevitably selective and partial. Baker, himself, also begins to question the methodical way in which he is exploring the history of his parents, "Does history remember more than memory? Do... I only recognise suffering in numbers and lists and not in the laments and pleas of a human being..." Through the use of rhetorical questions, Baker has evoked an emotional response from the reader and has allowed them to understand his realisation of the dual roles of history and memory. In this way the text can be seen as a metanarrative.

Baker experiences difficulties in recovering details of his mother's, Genia, past. As Genia was the sole survivor of her town, Bolszowce, Baker is frustrated by his inability of finding any physical evidence that documented his mother's survival and his mother's failure to remember, "About dates, time, the year." When Genia does guess the time of the year, Baker arrogantly replies, "You're right. The Action took place on 21 September, 1942," to which Genia angrily responds, "I'm right he says. What an honour." Genia realises that Mark does not understand her suffering despite his status as an historian. As the text progresses, Baker discovers a testimony of an SS Soldier that justifies Genia's account, "Found something true...It's really true!" This exclamatory statement allows the responders to perceive the significance of history and memory and how they both correlate with each other.

Unlike his mother, Baker is able to find factual evidence of his father's survival through the holocaust. His father is connected to the Buchenwald boys, which is a group dedicated to the remembrance of the holocaust, and his history and memory is shared and recorded whereas his mother's is a lonely void. Baker shows that memory is subjective and partial as it lapses and is clouded by trauma and emotion. His father's recounts being forced to march on a cold winter's day, while archival evidence records an unusually warm afternoon. Through the use of this contrast, we are shown the unreliability of memory.

Baker's novel is written in non-linear chronology. He employs time techniques such as flashbacks of memory throughout his novel, to replicate the nature of memory and its incoherent fragments. This is evident when Genia flashes back in Gate VIII to her remembrance of the church, "I used to play there on the hills with a sleigh." Baker's novel also makes use of archival evidence filled with statistics and dates of events to portray the significance between history and memory as both are required to tell a story. In the family memoir, Baker dramatically recreates the death of his grandmother which shows that he has come to terms with his dual roles and has gained insight into the flaws of history and memory. History does not tell the personal story of Hinda's death; her fear and her separation from her daughters and memory cannot record the story either as she did not survive. Therefore, Baker, uses the knowledge he has gained as an historian and the understanding he gains as a son to recreate the horror of her death. Through the use of present tense and first person, "I am Hinda," Baker makes the chapter more emotional.

By going through 'A journey through memory' and searching for archival evidence to validate memory, The Fiftieth Gate effectively represents one of the most dramatic times in human history and helps convey to modern audiences the emotions that the holocaust survivors experienced.

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