Nostalgia

Nostalgia, gazing into the past and remembering the “good ol’ days.” How do you let go of something that is so common and reassuring. Everyone experiences and crosses a line in life in which nostalgia causes one to gaze back and reminisce.
Ono in Ishigurus novel thinks back and remembers the past nostalgically. There is a difference between remembering the past in an ordinary mind state and remembering the past that is so common and reassuring to oneself. Ono has many memories and reflects on them throughout the novel, but never truly explains or goes into detail about his “good ol’ days.” Almost as if he is selecting the memories for the reader.
Life is full of memories, they are what form and shape our life. The good memories are the stories that sit well in our minds, they are stories we keep close and remember to a T. This can be extremely dangerous because it forms a trap. You can become so fond of these past memories that you can never escape them. Ono is one who likes to long about his good memories and avoids the bad and mistakes that have occurred in his life. He continues to talk about all the good in his life throughout the novel but avoids the bad as if it frightens him.
“In any case there is surely no great shame in mistakes made in best faith.” Ono is quoted, almost as if he is trying to justify his prior mistakes and bad memories. Nostalgia is something every person needs to fulfill their life, Ono uses nostalgia to escape pain and “bad days” but I feel that Ono is setting himself up, and he will be trapped if he does not confront these memories he is trying to disguise.
A nostalgic mind state is important to have, but dangerous if always in. One needs to confront and fix the bad and stop using nostalgia as an escape.