"We Didn't Start the Fire"

Music blaring, florescent lights, piles of jewelry so tangled it would take years to undo. The putrid smell of cheap perfumes, mountains of “go back” clothing overrunning every corner and every rack.  Adolescent girls combed through every inch of the store leaving behind a wake of disheveled clothing, which I undoubtedly, would be cleaning up.  This was the environment I worked in for an entire year. A corporate female clothing store. Other than the discount on clothing, I don’t miss it one bit. But I did notice one thing working there that seemed to be a sort of metaphor for life.  The styles of the merchandise that flooded our store were constantly cycling.  When I began working there the current style was very reminiscent of the 90’s. Lots of stripes loose pants fairly simple styles. A few months later we were a full blown 80s flash back capsule with leggings, fingerless gloves, gaudy fake jewelry and tube socks and all.   Next phase was, yup you guessed it, the 70’s.   To me these style changes are all too reminiscent of the paradigm shifts of life. In politics it our government is often dominated by one party for awhile and then it eventually shifts to the other.  Trends change, technology advances change the way we live our lives. The values of our society shift back and forth.  In the post World War Two setting of Japan, Masuji Ono is experiencing, quite a paradigm shift himself.

             In the novel An Artist of the Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro, Masuji Ono is experiencing a drastic post war paradigm shift. The views of the generations below him are far different than the views of his own generation. The general feeling about Japan’s involvement in the war has drastically changed. Masuji Ono is finding it difficult to change with the times and is not exactly comfortable with the younger generations and their point of views. Ono’s vision of what post war Japan would be is not at all, what post war Japan is turning out to be.

            Masuji Ono is finding it very difficult to change with the times. He has recognized this change around him with astonishment and distaste. Where once the Hirayama boy, would be patted on the head or fed for singing his patriotic songs, he is now beaten up for them (59-60). There was also a time where his patriotic works of art were appreciated, and now they tarnish his reputation. Ono is even asked by a pupil to deny his affiliation with him, so that he may have a chance at getting a job (104). Although Ono is vexed by this paradigm shift and struggles to change with the times, he is capable of changing along with them. First, Ono recognizes that there has been a paradigm shift. That in itself gives him the capacity to change. Second, although Ono will probably always maintain his beliefs about the war, he is now able to admit that his influence was ultimately not the best for the nation, although he had good intentions. “All I can say is that at the time I acted in good faith. I believed in all sincerity I was achieving good for my fellow countrymen. But as you see I am not now afraid to admit I was mistaken.”(123-124). Ono is able to change with the times but he is not comfortable with the younger generations.

            Ono is still not comfortable with the younger generations. He still finds his son-in- law, and now even his daughter, to be bitter and unpleasant. He receives harsh reactions from former students such as Mr. Kuroda, who sees him, as a traitor. Ono has a hard time relating to his grandson and is becoming more and more aware of the difference between his generation and the generations below him; Particularly his pupil’s and daughter’s generations.   Post war Japan is not at all what Ono had envisioned it would be.

            Ono’s vision of post war Japan is not at all what post war Japan is turning out to be. One can’t help but wonder if the Axis powers had in fact one the war, would there of been such a paradigm shift in feelings about the war as is displayed?  Most likely there would not have been such a shift, and if in fact there was, it would not have been as intense. Ono probably envisioned the Axis powers to have won, in his vision of post war Japan, but even when they did not, Ono still did not envision such a harsh post war response. Ono naively envisioned a nation that was proud of the efforts of its countrymen, and he envisioned a nation that would believe these efforts to be valiant. Ono believed that the die hard patriotic attitude that was instilled in his generation would be passed on and preserved by the next. Ono is currently facing the harsh reality that it was not.

            Although Ono is still not comfortable with the younger generations, and post war Japan is not turning out to be how he envisioned it, Ono is able to change with the times. Ono is facing the harsh reality of a paradigm shift. Although it may be rough for Ono now, there is always the possibility that the attitude will shift back, because that it the cycling nature of paradigm shifts.  A wise friend tells Ono, “But Ono there are things we should both be proud of. Never mind what people today are saying. Before long, a few more years, and the likes of us will be able to hold our heads high about what we tried to do.” (94).

            Whether it’s the hot pink of the 80’s, the plaid of 70’s, or the stripes of the 90’s, one true thing I learned from that store is that nothing lasts forever. Although at times there seems to be only so much variety in the world, nothing will be the same forever. Like Ono, change is something we must learn to accept, because“times they are a changing,” and change is the worlds only true constant.