In the following chapters of the Deep by Rivers Solomon, we get a further view into the perspectives of the main character, Yetu, specifically in her interactions with other members of this fictional society, like her amaba and Oori. For example, through her conversation with her amaba, we can see in further depth the concept of “ignorance is bliss”, as her mother refuses to believe her own daughter’s claims of how horrible and painful the role of Historian is. To me, this mirrors modern society’s tendency to ignore large parts of our own history if it does not fit within a certain narrative that is commonly accepted. For example, in schools we are taught that concepts of racism such as slavery and mistreatment of groups like Natives was simply a bad thing that happened a long time ago, however we are not commonly taught in-depth the horrors of what exactly went on or how the effects are still present to this day.

The society narrated in this novel reveals how there is no such thing as a society without pain or flaws and that an act of remembering is more than a mental concept, but a physical one as well. This novel as a whole reminds me of the book the Giver, which many people probably read in middle school, where the main character is the only one with memories of our flawed society’s past within a “utopian” world without war or pain. Despite that world being a “perfect” society, there still is a need to have one person remember everything, just like the Deep. If they pile all of that history and responsible upon one singular person so as to not burden the rest of society to keep it “perfect” for everyone else, that begs the question of why they even need to remember anyways? Obviously, we as readers know that history is important to learn from, but what good is it if only one person can access this knowledge? I think that this means that no matter how hard we try, we can’t eradicate completely pain or the past, we must face it in one way or another, even if all evidence is erased except small remnants. The second point that I noticed is how throughout the chapters, Yeti’s act of remembering is described as physical above mental. For example, when the memories go back into her after the Remembrance, it is described as a seizure. The novel also describes memories as if they are physical objects she is carrying and being burdened with. I think this shows how history is more important than simply remembering, but it is trauma that can affect our lives in very real, tangible ways even if we do not easily see those correlations.