The Power of Music

Music is a universal medium of connecting and uniting people. It can unite connoisseurs of classical music for hours on end. It can unite sports fans, instilling a sense of excitement and anticipation of the next game. Music is performed to celebrate a victory in the war, or it can be used to mourn the deaths of the valiant soldiers who fought with their heart and soul.

Music unites Victor and his father, strengthening an often tense relationship. Alexie states that “music had powerful medicine” (29), as it helped Victor develop a closer bond with his father. Music encourages Victor and his father to have genuine conversations about their identity as Indians and assimilating into society. Through music, Victor also obtains insights into his parents’ past and the times they had a happier relationship.

Listening to music can also be a highly personalized, individual experience. Music is an extension of the mind; it can express various emotions and thoughts beyond physical gestures or even language. I often watch movies or listen to music in languages that I do not understand. I only watch movies in a foreign language if there are subtitles; I understand little from simply hearing the characters speak. However, I need no translation for music in foreign languages; I am able to understand the gist of the song through its climactic buildup and soft harmonies.

For Victor’s father, listening to music is very impactful on a personal level. The Jimi Hendrix concert was the pinnacle of his life, as he had just been released from prison, one of the most depressing times in his life. Instantly, Victor’s father becomes enamored by a musician who also does not fit in with society. Many years later, Victor’s father seems to constantly find himself in the past; he only listens to Jimi Hendrix and he recounts memories of his life when his relationship with Victor’s mother was better. Victor’s father’s blind fixation on the past and his previous memories make him neglect his present responsibilities, such as caring for Victor. Victor’s father is inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s music to such an extent that he is completely blind to the fact that Hendrix lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. Music seems to almost drive Victor’s father to a point of insanity.

However, most of us have tremendously enjoyable and positive experiences listening to music. We may even enjoy singing in the shower, when no one’s watching. But why do we feel ashamed to hum even a soft tune in public? We want our music to be in tune, completely on pitch, without any mistakes. We do not realize that music, like life, cannot be perfect; it is just an experiment, an opportunity for us to improvise and express ourselves.

Memories

The ability to remember is a truly profound aspect of the human mind. Our memories define who we are more completely than any of our physical attributes or interactions with other people. We find it easy to ignore such aspects of our lives when we are alone, in an independent setting. However, we continue to possess our thoughts and memories, from the time we wake to a bright morning to the time we enter a deep, blissful sleep.

Our memories serve many purposes in our lives and are instrumental in our successes. As children, we may use our memories to learn the correct etiquette, always remembering to say “thank you” when presented with any gift. As high schoolers, we push our memories to the limits, attempting to remember every obscure fact for the next test. Perhaps when we are older, we will use our memories and experiences to make wise decisions about life-changing matters, such as choosing a college or a job.

Our memories can evoke strong positive or negative emotions in us. We may fondly remember sitting beside the fire, enjoying a meal under the stars. We might shudder at the time that the whole class ridiculed us for failing an exceptionally easy test.

We possess such a large assortment of memories that includes many notable events in our lives. Yet we fail to remember much from our years as toddlers, years in which we developed vital skills such as speaking, reading, and counting. We have no account of learning such skills, even though learning these skills is likely far more significant than anything we actually remember.

It poses the question, what determines what we remember? Is our memory just a random subset of all the events that have occurred to us?

Although our memories may seem disjointed and random, I believe there is some semblance of a logical structure to them. We keep events that pertain to our responsibilities and ambitions in the forefront of our minds. I remember the questions on my math test last week much more clearly than the food I ate for dinner last night because performing well in school is one of my major goals and eating dinner is something I simply take for granted. Likewise, Tim O’Brien is able to remember events like Kiowa’s death so clearly, as he feels that it was his responsibility to help protect Kiowa and the other soldiers. O’Brien omits the twenty years after the war because no event that occurred in those years had the same magnitude as the traumatic events of the war. O'Brien states that "the thing about remembering is that you don't forget" (22). Even though our memories are constantly changing, we never forget the memories regarding the events we are most passionate and emotional about. These memories will always travel with us, as long as we continue to believe in their significance and impact on our lives.