Open It, Clean It then Heal It

When a person is wounded, their wound needs special care in order to heal.  A wound cannot be covered up and ignored and be expected to heal. 

Proper wound care consists of two steps.  The first involves opening up the wound to take out any leftover debris.  This may be debris from foreign sources or damaged skin that is no longer alive.  The second step involves treatment, possibly with a medication or bandage of some sort.  If steps one and two are followed, inevitably the wound will heal.

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “An Artist of the Floating World”, we see Masuji Ono mentally wounded, in need of some healing.  He and Japan have just recently experienced World War II.  The war was particularly unpleasant for Ono as he has lost his wife and his only son.  His involvement with the Imperialist government and their promotion of the war are the cause of his wound. 

This wound has been ignored, left to fester.  It has not been cleaned nor has it been medicated or bandaged.  Ono’s festering of the wound is noticed by his daughter Noriko who is concerned about his welfare and continually comments on his moping about.  She tells her older sister, Setsuko, “Father takes a lot of looking after now he’s retired.  You’ve got to keep him occupied or he starts to mope.”  (13) 

Ono’s son-in-law, Suichi is greatly distressed by the loss of lives, his friends are dead.  His anger is apparent.  He would very much like to speak openly about these feelings with Ono.  He would be more than happy to open the wound.  

Suichi’s incensed behavior and the strange behavior of Ono’s daughters (they cease talking when their father enters a room) may be what force Ono to open the wound. 

It is during his daughter’s second marriage negotiation (the first attempt being unsuccessful without explanation) that he realizes that proper treatment of this wound is in order. 

The first opening of the wound takes place when he visits a colleague of the past.  Matsuda remembers Ono’s wife and her demise.  “A cruel thing, and with the war all but over.  I heard it was something of a freak raid.” (90-91) “It’s something of a comfort to remember her with you.  I remember her back in the old days then.” Ono replied.  (91)

Ono also attempts to visit Kuroda a student from his past.  In doing so he is forced to face Kuroda’s animosity.  Kuroda is unavailable and so replies to Ono’s visit with a letter, “I have no reason to believe a meeting between us would produce anything of value.” (114)

He begins to clean the wound while at a dinner party with the Saito family, given as part of marriage negotiations for his daughter, Noriko.  “There are some who would say it is people like myself who are responsible for the terrible tings that happened to this nation of ours.  As far as I am concerned, I freely admit I made many mistakes.  I accept that much of what I did was ultimately harmful to our nation, that mine was part of an influence that resulted in untold suffering for our own people.  I admit this.  You see, Dr. Saito, I admit this quite readily.” (123)

Ono is doing the right things; he takes the first step by uncovering and opening the wound.  He is cleaning the wound, talking about past events.  He is airing it out, letting the wound breathe.  The wound will fester no longer.  He is now able to supply necessary treatment which will facilitate healing.