Can Nostalgia be Negative?
During class, while discussing Sag Harbor, we talked about the idea of nostalgia. Usually, people think of nostalgia as a good feeling, like missing happy times. However, we also wondered if nostalgia can sometimes be a little negative. While reading Sag Harbor, Benji’s memories made me realize that nostalgia isn’t as simple as a good feeling. The book is full of moments about summer, friends, and growing up, but it also shows that even fun memories can have a complicated side.
Benji looks back at the summers he spent in Sag Harbor, a beach town where he and his brother Reggie had lots of adventures with their friends. Things like getting jobs, BB gun fights, and sneaking into a club. At first, it sounds like he is just remembering good times, hanging out, eating junk food, and listening to music. It all seems pretty positive, but as you keep reading, you notice there is more going on beneath the surface.
His memories are not just about fun. He also talks about feeling pressure, awkwardness, confusion, and sometimes even hurt. For example, Benji tries hard to fit in. He wants to seem older and less different from the other kids. He even starts going by “Ben” instead of Benji to sound more grown-up. He pays close attention to his friends, what they wear, and what they like, and compares himself to them. Some of his memories are funny, but you can tell he also felt out of place.
His relationship with his family affects how he remembers those summers, too. His dad is strict and sometimes even abusive, which makes things tense. His mom is there but does not say much, which makes her feel distant. These parts do not get talked about a lot in the book, but they still affect how Benji sees his past.
I think Benji’s story shows that nostalgia is not just about happy memories. It can be mixed with hard feelings, too. He remembers the freedom of summer and hanging out with friends, but also the pressure to grow up and figure out who he really is. Plus, the tough times with his dad and feeling uncomfortable at home.
Ultimately, I think Sag Harbor teaches us that nostalgia is not just missing the past. It is also about trying to understand it. You can feel happy and unsettled about the same memory. Benji’s story feels real because it shows that mix of feelings. He is not just telling us about a fun summer; he is showing how those experiences shaped him. Looking back is not always easy, but it can teach us a lot about ourselves.
Hi Chizara!! I like how you talked about the hidden struggles Benji has during seemingly fun events like sneaking into a club. I think this quality of Benji is what makes Ben's nostalgia all the more bittersweet. He has this relationship with his past that is negative, but its like he can't help yearn for the simpler times anyway.
ReplyDeleteMy blog followed a similar tone of acknowledging the nostalgia but also the trauma that Benji is going through. It is so cool getting to really see how differently older Ben and younger Benji see his life because they are truly complete opposites. I think it really shows that his nostalgia has led to understanding. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Chizara, this post was really good! It's really intersting to think about how Ben sees his past self. Ben's nostalgia--if you can call it that--isn't positive but complicated. I still am not sure if we get any of Ben's emotion during the book or just his raw analysis.
ReplyDeleteHi Chizara, you did a great job at describing the complexity of the nostalgia that Ben feels when looking back on his childhood. I like how you consider that the nostalgia itself may be partially negative; how I saw it was that Ben tried to use this nostalgia as a way to glaze over the bad parts of his childhood. If we just look at the events of the book, Benji's childhood doesn't seem the best: he gets shot in the eye, his parents are always fighting, his dad and brother don't talk anymore, their sister never visits, etc. But something about the way that Ben describes it makes it seem nostalgic, despite all the trauma. I think that trying to see it through a more positive light might just be his way of coping. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Chizara!! Nostalgia not always being positive is such a true statement, but it's so difficult to explain verbally. You did a really good job at unpacking it! It doesn't have to be about what was once happy, rather, nostalgia is more about missing what was once reality. I think Ben's neutrality (of course not exactly, but he plates things sort of how they are) helps portray this emphasis of longing for the past, not necessarily happiness. Great post!!
ReplyDeleteHi Chizara! I agree with how you talk about the different aspects of nostalgia, and that it isn't limited to something good or bad, but rather is something more complicated. Since nostalgia is a fixation or longing for the past, it shouldn't be required to be something positive or negative since memory and emotions also aren't black and white. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThroughout this novel we get examples of nostalgia as an unreliable emotion--a feeling not to be trusted, as Ben elaborates in "Tonight We Improvise," as he finds himself being triggered to feel nostalgic about stuff he can't even be sure ever happened. His father's famous barbecue is a good example: we learn in great detail about Benji's dad's reputation in the family and throughout Sag Harbor for his amazing barbecue, but at the end of the chapter, the underlying reality is revealed (the chicken tastes like sand). But then Whitehead pulls us in with that memory of happier times, later in the novel, when his dad is once again barbecuing while the kids all play on the deck and Elena paints her nails--a quintessentially nostalgic view of family. But then he pulls out the rug and tells us it never happened.
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