Retrieving the Past in “Mujhy Apni Ankhon Mein Mehfooz Kar lo”

Abstract

In Carlos Fuentes's Constancia, the retrieval of the past is a central theme, intertwining personal memory with historical consciousness. Characters grapple with elusive histories and lost loves, seeking to understand their present identities through fragments of what has been. The past isn't static; it actively shapes and haunts the present. Fuentes explores how individual and collective pasts—often suppressed or forgotten—are reconstructed, reinterpreted, and reclaimed. Dr. Whitby Hull's quest to understand his wife Constancia's enigmatic past embodies this struggle, highlighting how unearthing history is crucial for self-discovery and making sense of existence.