Naomi Porter's Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac

Throughout life, people encounter challenges that affect who they are, similar to Naomi Porter, who “was born to be an amnesiac.” She not only suffered a head injury causing her to forget the past few years of her life, but she is also an orphan, and does not remember the life she had as an infant. Because of the confusion of her past, she encounters people trying to help her remember who she was before she forgot everything, and consequently becomes susceptible to their thoughts. In Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Naomi’s lack of identity makes her vulnerable to the judgment of others, which shows readers the power people can have over those unsure of themselves.
While reading Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, it is very easy to see that Naomi

Since Naomi does not know what she likes and how she acts, it is not unexpected that her peers try and tell her what she likes and why. They want to try and control Naomi, so her actions will benefit them. For example, Ace, Naomi’s boyfriend who used to be really close with her, practically directs Naomi ”to get (her) memory back and for everything to be like it was.” After Naomi’s head injury, she did not love Ace the same way she did prior, and it is clear that Ace wants Naomi to like him again, and that he does not want their relationship to change. This illustrates that Ace wants Naomi on his side, instead of against him and wanting to end their relationship. Because Naomi does not remember Ace very well, Ace wants to be able to help Naomi remember things his way. Additionally, Ace tells Naomi that she “love(s) tennis, how can (she) not remember that?” Obviously, Ace is very desperate to get Naomi to see things from his perspective, instead of encouraging her to remember things how she used to see them. Furthermore, since Naomi does not remember who she was, the things people say can have more influence to her than someone who knows who they are. For instance, James, a boy Naomi met the day she hit her head and became close with, tells Naomi to “screw the past” instead of looking back on everything bad that ever happened. Naomi takes what James said to heart, claiming

In other words, Naomi’s friends manipulate her into thinking their way. This is incredibly significant because it not only shows how truly helpless Naomi is, but it shows the lengths even friends will go to alter other people. For example, when Alice is trying to persuade a reluctant Naomi to audition for the school play, she tells Naomi that “if (she has) never been in a play, how (does she) know for sure it’s not (her) thing?” To which Naomi replies, “You’re right. I don’t know.” Naomi cannot argue and say, “It is not my thing because I usually do this . . .” because she does not remember what she usually participates in; she is forced to agree with Alice. Naomi is no longer able to make decisions or think for herself because she has to follow what everyone else does. This could only result in her being someone who is always unaware of whom she truly is. Alice knows that Naomi cannot argue her point, which is why she asked Naomi that specific question. Alice benefits off of Naomi’s inability to defend herself due to her loss of confidence, which stems from her lack of identity. In addition, James manipulates Naomi from the very beginning of the story by making her believe she was his girlfriend. He admits to Naomi that he “just said (she was his) girlfriend so they would let (him) ride with (her).” Clearly, James has the upper hand in this situation because Naomi does not