An Artist of the Floating World

by Kazuo Ishiguro

but he had been born with a flaw in his nature. A weak streak that would give him a tendency towards slothfulness and deceit.

‘But I believe the priest also had many positive things to say about our son.’

Neither do I remember why I was wandering around the house in the dark,

Repressed memory

so it was not at all unusual that we should stand in the dark and converse.

‘Whatever he’s doing in there,’ I said, ‘it doesn’t bother me in the least.’ My mother made no sound, so I added: ‘The only thing Father’s succeeded in kindling is my ambition.’

have no wish to find myself in years to come, sitting where Father is now sitting, telling my own son about accounts and money. Would you be proud of me if I grew to be like that?’

Has a deep scorn for his dad

‘When you are young, there are many things which appear dull and lifeless. But as you get older, you will find these are the very things that are most important to

However, I see I am drifting. My intention had been to record here that conversation I had with Setsuko last month when she came into the reception room to change the flowers.

I was, in fact, referring to their investigations.’

Dad is an imperialist

‘I’m sure your conversation is fine, but I’m afraid I don’t quite follow what you are saying.’

Lol that don't compute

On account of what he must have suffered out in Manchuria,

:(

brazenly.

that exchange with Noriko put me in mind again of the occasion I myself had encountered Jiro Miyake and had ended up talking with him at a tram stop.

that perhaps the encounter itself had helped bring about the withdrawal.

You see, to be quite frank, the President committed suicide.’

His act was an apology on behalf of us all to the families of those killed in the war.’

Is he recommending suicide lol rude

Sometimes I think there are many who should be giving their lives in apology who are too cowardly to face up

Did Miyake really say all this to me that afternoon? Perhaps I am getting his words confused with the sort of thing Suichi will come out and say.

It had taken more than a year for my son’s ashes to arrive from Manchuria.

‘But if my brother’s ashes are mingled,’ Setsuko had written to me at the time, ‘they would only be mingled with those of his comrades. We cannot complain about that.’

and carried out the belated ceremony for him two years ago last month.

He died about 3 years ago

For a moment, my son-in-law gazed at me with a still, expressionless face; it is something he does from time to time which I have never quite got used to.

‘Half of my high school graduation year have died courageous deaths.

:(

‘Those who sent the likes of Kenji out there to die these brave deaths, where are they today? They’re carrying on with their lives, much the same as ever.

At that point, I had hardly seen Suichi since his return from the war,

They married before the war ended

but why must he harbour such bitterness for his elders?

but he’s got the right attitude. He’s Japanese.’

This praise is just as disingenuous as blamikng him for his statements

They may not like his songs and speeches, but in all likelihood they are the same people who once patted his head and encouraged him

Scapegoating

‘that the proposed establishment be a celebration of the new patriotic spirit emerging in Japan today.

any patron incompatible with that spirit would be firmly encouraged to leave.

that is to say, there was no reason why pleasure-seeking had to go hand in hand with decadence.

geting back at his dad

But when I first came to this city – in 1913

those who could afford only the lowest rents. Mine was a small attic room

Including hIm

a post, I am told, he still holds today, the authorities seeing no reason to replace him as they did so many of his fellow teachers.

But then to be fair, I cannot recall any colleague who could paint a self-portrait with absolute honesty;

Lol Word

those from that part of the city invariably grew up weak and spineless.

I saw that the rest of my colleagues would do nothing but watch with a kind of fascination, that I stepped forward and said:

the essential point about the sort of things we were commissioned to paint – geishas, cherry trees, swimming carps, temples – was that they look ‘Japanese’ to the foreigners to whom they were shipped out, and all finer points of style were quite likely to go unnoticed.

the ability to think and judge for myself, even if it meant going against the sway of those around me.

Called ijnto questipn by the narrative

But whenever I go there now, I find myself becoming nostalgic for the Tamagawa grounds as they used to be.

I recall having to listen for several more moments to his praise

Interesting that we are viewing Ono's life through moments where someone praised him. These words made a big impact. Also implies he's leaving out timesz when he faced censure.

Then I said: ‘I’d been meaning to talk to you for some time. You see, I’ve been thinking things over and I’m considering leaving Master Takeda in the near future.’

An abrupt shift

It’s all very well for the rest of those workhorses to toil under Master Takeda to earn their living. But those of us with serious ambitions must look elsewhere.”

Ouch

How can I be so disloyal as to leave after only a few months?’

‘Master Takeda doesn’t deserve the loyalty of the likes of you and me. Loyalty has to be earned. There’s too much made of loyalty. All too often men talk of loyalty and follow blindly. I for one have no wish to lead my life like that.’

with the passages of Ono's youth we see how he rebelled against old ways - but he struggles to understand the rebelion of the post war generatiokn

is inevitable that with repeated telling, such accounts begin to take on a life of their own.

as soon as an interesting question had been asked of me, they would all break off their own conversations and I would have a circle of faces awaiting my reply.

while it was right to look up to teachers, it was always important to question their authority.

‘Indeed, Sensei,’ someone said, ‘we must all remember that. We must all endeavour to rise above the sway of things.’

This response adds nothing and just repeats ono's line but he includes it to show everone agreed

a finer, more manly spirit