The other space: Heterotopia, memory and individuality in dystopian novels the memory police and the giver

The aim of this paper is to explore the heterotopic nature of the concept of memory in dystopian fictions The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa and The Giver by Lois Lowry comparatively and thereby to discuss that memory is possible to be applied as a means of oppression primarily through the destruction of this heterotopic space and individuality. The protagonists in both novels suffer from memory loss that is schemed by the totalitarian authority in their communities. In order to resist that authority, they are required to hold on to their memory which acts as a counter-site that is analysed through Michel Foucault's variously defined and interpreted concept of heterotopia. The approaches regarding individual and collective memory are presented in relation to identity formation. The paper ultimately discusses that individual memory, in the novels mentioned, besides being a part of collective memory, acts as a heterotopic space for the protagonists since it is a form of the other space created as opposed to the space that is formed by the manipulated collective memory and that the characters are forced to live in.