Week 4 Analysis: Old Monterey

Nostalgia is defined as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past (Dictionary.com). That is precisely the feeling that you get when you read the short story "Old Monterey". It's a story that starts off with waves crashing on the beach and an almost light-hearted and nostalgic feeling about it. What is really interesting is that the nostalgia hits from almost two angles. One angle is about how it is more of a historical nostalgia, he talks about how he could've imagined how troops met and mingled and fishermen mending their nets in the sun. This is totally nostalgic of history and its almost fascinating on how the reader feels like they are feeling reminiscent of history like they've been there before. On the other angle, the nostalgia reaches me personally. As a child, I've had memories of walking on the Monterey beach during the sunset and playing in the sand with my little brother. I find it amazing how the author was able to create two different senses of nostalgia, and when you read the story you start to feel a smile forming and its because the author makes you feel warm and fuzzy while you read. The setting of the story is honestly one of my favorite settings because personally I love the beach. The setting captivates the audience and gives the imagery of a smooth sandy beach with calm waves rolling and crashing on the sand with a thin fog flowing over the water moving inland. This setting really heightens the theme of nostalgia through the story. The historical aspect is also crazy because it fits in with the theme as well. It talks about the Mexican troops mingling and the fading of the old, old Spain and also the pursuit of treasure. The pursuit of treasure is incredible because it's basically talking about the gold rush where people were leaving everything in hopes to become insanely rich by mining gold.