What narrative effect demonstrates how guilt reshapes memory?

• A. A linear, unchanging account
• B. Reflective narration that reframes past recollections
• C. The narrator never questions memory
• D. The memory is fully objective

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is that guilt reshapes memory through reflective, self-aware narration. When Gene looks back on his time at Devon, his guilt over causing Finny’s fall colors how he remembers events. The narration becomes introspective, with Gene questioning earlier interpretations, offering new explanations, and reframing past recollections in light of his feelings of responsibility. This serves to show that memory isn’t a fixed, objective record; it’s filtered by emotion and moral concern. The reader witnesses how guilt can twist motives, emphasize different details, or downplay others as the narrator tries to come to terms with what happened. This reflective narration reveals the unreliability of memory under emotional strain, and helps explain why the same events can feel different when remembered later.

Other options miss this effect because they imply memory is static or unexamined. A linear, unchanging account would suggest memory stays the same regardless of guilt. The narrator not questioning memory would remove the self-scrutiny that signals memory is being reshaped. A fully objective memory would ignore the subjective influence of guilt altogether.