Ishiguro week 4

            Nostalgia plays a big role in the book and in Ono’s life.  As the reader we find ourselves constantly following Ono around time recalling on memories of before the war during and soon after.  Yes it helps us to better understand Ono as the main character but the question is is nostalgia a good thing or is it dangerous?  There is a thin line between fondly remembering the past and getting stuck in the past.  A couple of examples from the book where nostalgia play a role are how Ono’s is found wondering aimlessly deep in thought and never getting around to fixing the house and the Hirayama boy. 

            Ono is affected by nostalgia more than the average man.  He finds himself wondering around the house aimlessly for hours on end.  An example from the book of his inability to move on is the state of his home.  His home has incurred considerable amounts of damage from the bombing.  And yet he at what I would call a snails pace repairs the home.  Ono has also become retired at what should be a young age for him and we are uncertain as to why he retired.  I do recall that he does remind himself quite often of how he is viewed by his colleagues.  He has to tell us that he was unaware of his standing in the community and that everyone respects him so.  Maybe this is a reason why he retired because he has such high ranks that it is unnecessary to work instead he should only walk around aimlessly and remember how he became at such high standing.