Memory creates internal reality but does not make consciousness. Funes internal reality is an exact copy of the external reality. Ronald Christ notes the significance of Funes memory when he writes that, our principle antidotes to universality and immortality are death and forgetting. Christ s analysis of Funes condition emphasizes the importance of Meursault s development of memory to his development of consciousness. Ronald Christ s interpretation of Funes, however, reveals that the mere existence of memory is not enough.
Imperfect memory invites imagination and creative embellishment.
Meursault cannot explain all the details of the killing or his mother s funeral. His memory stimulates consciousness because it is imperfect and selective. He can entertain himself by filling in the holes of his imperfect memory with imagination. He provides a personal, creative touch to reality. Meursault comments that, I realized then that a man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred years in prison.