Which description best captures the theme of guilt in Remains?

Which description best captures the theme of guilt in Remains?

• A. The memory cannot be shaken off.
• B. The memory haunts him by night and day.
• C. The memory is forgotten quickly.
• D. The memory inspires a new career.

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how guilt is portrayed as a lasting, intrusive memory rather than a momentary feeling. In Remains, the speaker is haunted by the memory of the killing long after the event, so the guilt intrudes into everyday life and doesn’t fade. Describing the memory as haunting him day and night captures this relentless persistence—it's not just a fleeting remorse but a constant burden that colors both waking moments and dreams. The other descriptions don’t fit the poem’s effect: forgetting quickly would suggest closure that the speaker never achieves, and turning the memory into inspiration or a new career contradicts the painful, corrosive pull guilt has over him. This ongoing, invasive nature of guilt is central to how the poem portrays the soldier’s inner turmoil.

The main idea being tested is how guilt is portrayed as a lasting, intrusive memory rather than a momentary feeling. In Remains, the speaker is haunted by the memory of the killing long after the event, so the guilt intrudes into everyday life and doesn’t fade. Describing the memory as haunting him day and night captures this relentless persistence—it's not just a fleeting remorse but a constant burden that colors both waking moments and dreams. The other descriptions don’t fit the poem’s effect: forgetting quickly would suggest closure that the speaker never achieves, and turning the memory into inspiration or a new career contradicts the painful, corrosive pull guilt has over him. This ongoing, invasive nature of guilt is central to how the poem portrays the soldier’s inner turmoil.