Mackenzie Keeling

Why We Must Remember

In her short story “A Blue Sky Like This,” Mona Awad takes the reader to a reality where

pestful, bad memories can be erased, and there is nothing to be afraid of on a beautiful day under

a sky that is the perfect shade of blue. Awad utilizes a second person point of view, inserting the

reader into a situation they know all too well, asking: “How attached are you to your memories?”

In doing so, the author encourages the reader to reexamine and find a new appreciation for their

own painful memories.

A pandemic is a rare occurrence where everyone in the world is sharing the same

experience; and, in using second person narration, the author draws on the emotions of each

reader, creating a story so surreal. The scene is set: “And now it’s your birthday on top of

everything else. You’ve been dreading it” (Awad 1). Whom the narrator is addressing is not

revealed until later in conversation. For this story, it is as if the author makes an actor of the

reader: the reader is the one who has their skin examined, and it is the reader who pictures

themselves “alone and afraid in [their] apartment…Body on fire. Breathing as if [they] were

drowning as the tears gushed from [their] eyes” (4). Through Julia recalling her lowest moment,

so does the reader. Then when the woman offers to do something about Julia’s skin, saying

“‘First, I have to ask you: How attached are you to your memories,’” that is the author asking the

reader (6). Second person narration allows the author to speak directly to the reader, and Awad

purposefully utilizes this point of view to allow the reader to react firstand to events in the story.

It is not enough for the reader to simply read this story, Awad needs the reader to be immersed in

Julia’s character to experience her story completely. At first thought, the reader might agree with

Julia’s decision to erase her memories, but, through the symbolism of the mannequin, Awad

encourages the reader to delve deeper.

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As Julia skips out of the treatment room into the “bright light of the late summer

afternoon,” she notices the front window of the building’s lobby has been shattered. Inside, “a

bald white mannequin stands naked…She stares at you with shining eyes. Red lips in a slight

smile” (7-8). Once again, through a second person point of view, the author instills the feelings

of Julia in the reader. It is intentional that the image of the mannequin is the trigger that fills Julia

with dread and that the word “that comes most strongly to mind” when catching her reflection in

the broken glass is eradicated; “doesn’t eradicate mean destroy?” (8). Similar to the mannequin

being stripped of its clothes, Julia has been stripped of her trauma. She is bare to the world. But,

the weight that has been lifted off her shoulders does not change the situation, only her own

experience. The mannequin remains safe and secure in the shop, but the glass is still broken; still,

Julia faces the brokenness of the world. The author continues to blur the seemingly gleaming

situation: “You’re standing in that wonderful light of the mind, and it’s beautiful and it’s

blinding” (10). Is ignorance bliss when the rest of the world is struggling?

The symbol of the mannequin is further developed when Julia encounters Ben at the park.

Ben has noticeably aged and has developed strange eyes, while Julia could not look better. He

recounts the events leading to their meeting, and the reader feels as empowered as Julia when

Ben’s attempt at getting under her skin is futile. The hardships that once weakened her have been

lifted: “Even with that cold creeping in, you have the red lips of the mannequin…you look at

Ben with shining eyes” (18). In these final pages of the story, the author directly relates Julia to

the mannequin. Like the mannequin, the bricks that Ben throws at Julia cannot break her smile

and shining eyes. However, this newfound mindset also prevents Julia from connecting with

others. She is confused by people’s actions and considers them rude without any attempt at

understanding. Additionally, when she notices Ben’s mask dangling from his neck, she assumes

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his germophobia is getting worse: “People get weirder as they get older. Sad, really” (13).

Empathy is replaced with pity. Furthermore, when Ben explains that he would bring groceries to

any sick friend in need, Julia is offended, claiming “He’s the one who’s sick. He looks about a

thousand years old” (16). The seemingly unbreakable nature of the mannequin is appealing,

especially in light of recent events, but at what cost? The mannequin might still be standing

despite the broken glass of the shop, but it is unable to do anything else; it may always be

smiling and looking out with shining eyes, but it is void of connection. Through this symbol of

the mannequin, Awad demonstrates memory as the root of connection. Ultimately, it is the

hardships we face that reap the greatest connection.

The desire to forget is not uncommon, but, in her short story, Awad reveals how

necessary it is to remember. Our experiences make us human, and without, our lives would be

void of meaning. George Eliot once said: “What greater thing is there for two human souls than

to feel that they are joined - to strengthen each other - to be at one with each other in silent

unspeakable memories.”

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Work Cited

Awad, Mona. “Mona Awad: 'A Blue Sky Like This,' a Short Story.” The New York Times, The

New York Times, 8 July 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/07/magazin

e/awad-blue-short-story.html.