Grace Crilly
Memories and nostalgia allow us to look back at moments with our loved ones and create new memories with them. In the present moment you don't know how much time we have left in the world and we might not even realise it. Watching the news about life right now with the coronavirus really got to me thinking about how it affects many families. It has been diagnosed not just in adults, but also in babies who have died. I just recently heard that one of my best friend's grandpa who was recently sick had passed away. Harlan Ellison uses memory in "Padalin of the Lost Hour" as Gaspar mourns his wife, Minna. In this essay I'll be discussing how memory and nostalgia impact Gaspar's character as he mourns over the death of his wife. His friend Billy also stayed beside him when his character passed on. Nostalgia is "a wistful affection for the past, typically for a person or place with happy personal associations" (Oxford Dictionary). Nostalgia gives us a choice for how we want to live our lives.
Nostalgia allows you to change your present and the future. Remembering those memories can improve your life in the present. However, it's not beneficial to compare the present to a previous memory that you think is better. Going back now and then to memories that gave you such joy can improve your mood. For example, in John Tierney's New York Times article, he quoted Dr Sedikides, who said, "I told him I did live my life forward, but sometimes I couldn't help thinking about the past, and it was rewarding. Nostalgia made me feel that my life had roots and continuity. It made me feel good about myself and my relationships. It provided a texture to my life and gave me strength to move forward" (Tierney). Looking back at memories can feel rewarding so individuals can change their future. Also, there are many ways people still remember relatives who are deceased. For example, grilled cheese reminds me of my papa because he used to make it for me and then cut the sandwich up into triangles. Another example is that Milano cookies remind me of my nana, because they would always have them at the house. My papa's favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip, so when I was a kid I used to always eat mint chocolate chip ice cream while watching Wheel of Fortune. Tierney explains in his article that most individuals experience nostalgia once a week and nearly half experience it three or four times a week. Most individuals that are affected by nostalgia are young individuals and older individuals.
In "Paladin of The Lost Hour," for example, Gaspar experiences what Tierney in his article calls a "bittersweet" emotion. Gaspar used to visit Minna's grave every other day, but it hurt him too much only going every other day so instead he'd go every day instead. Gaspar is using nostalgia thinking of his past with Minna everyday. Nostalgia is both a positive and negative feeling. Getting over a loss in your family takes time to heal, but Gaspar is using nostalgia in a negative way at first. Gaspar wasn't allowing himself time to heal, but once he met Billy he did share his feelings about Minna with him. Once Billy and Gaspar's friendship grew, that started to help Gaspar think on how he would reflect back on past memories that he should let go. Gaspar did leave his watch to Billy in his honour, but in his last moments he tells him that he is in pain, but he needs to heal. He realises in his last moments, healing from pain takes time. Sometimes it can be hard defining if the nostalgia we feel is specifically just happiness independently or sadness independently.
Tierney expresses in his article, "Nostalgia can have a painful side- a bittersweet emotion." Gaspar expresses this over the mourning death of Minna. Between Gaspar and Billy in the story, Gaspar is the older character remembering his life and Billy is younger trying to find his purpose in the future. They both express memories that Gaspar shares with Billy. Billy is looking ahead on what memories are worth creating for his future. Gaspar, as the older one, has the need to look over his deceased wife at her grave. Also, he feels responsible for her because he still loves her.
When individuals nostalgize, it helps them with problems they have in their life in the present. Nostalgia allows us to change our present moment and our future. Nostalgia isn't an emotion, but it does give you happy and/or sad emotions, which also occur for individuals listening to music. When feeling nostalgic from an early memory, it can be such a comfort, but at the same time individuals shouldn't be too comfortable with it if it's their only perspective on how individuals can handle their problems. Tierney expresses that comparing your life in the present moment to the past is not the way an individual would want to live. It won't allow you to live in the present most and think of what direction you want your life to take. Nostalgia gives you a middle, in-between emotion, that "bittersweet" feeling. Over analysing your life then and now won't allow you to have a better future. Ellison uses Gaspar reflecting on the life he had with Billy to think of what his life is, using nostalgia in the process.
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