"We Can Remember it For You Wholesale"

Philip Dick's, "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale," starts off with a very sarcastic and humorous tone. The main character, Douglas Quail, who is described as "A miserable little salaried employee," (Dick 355) fantasizes about going to Mars all the time. His wife often has to "Bring her husband down to Earth" (Dick 355). Doug's obsession was almost to the breaking point of his marriage, but Doug can stop dreaming about Mars and all that the unknown planet has to offer. Doug's wife constantly told him that his daydreams were getting worse, telling him, "Your getting worse. More fanatical every day. Where's it going to lead?" (Dick 356). Doug's remark was simply, "To Mars" (Dick 356).
The story's tone seemed to change shortly after Douglas went to Rekal Incorporated to change his memory. This is where the story got confusing for me. Douglas began to question whether or not he really went to Mars, and what really happened to him at Rekal Inc. Turns out that Douglas starts to remember that he really did go to Mars, on a mission to kill someone rebelling on the planet. The tone of the story changes from humorous to almost scary and eerie regarding what really happened in Mars. Douglas has to deal with all of these conflicts inside of his head and has no one to turn to. Even as the tone of the story changes, there are some humorous bits thrown in. Quail is warned by the Interplan cop, "So I have to warn you;anything you think may be held against you." This was my favorite line in the story, because it seems almost ridiculous, but at the same time I wonder if it could ever be possible. In the future, will such an implant be possible? Can someones mind actually be changed to make them think certain things really happened? This story left me questioning what Douglas Quail future would hold, and if his mind would ever be the same.