The Representation Of Regret In Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before We Say Goodbye

Abstract

Regret is a complex psychological process that literature frequently utilizes to expose the emotional consequences of irreversible human choices. This study examines the representation and typology of regret in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel Before We Say Goodbye (2023) through its four central characters: Monji Kadokura, Sunao Hikita, Hikari Ishimori, and Michiko Kijimoto. Addressing a research gap that often overlooks the structured psychological logic of the novel, this study applies Gilovich and Medvec’s (1995) Theory of Regret to analyze the temporal patterns of action and inaction. Using a qualitative descriptive design grounded in a psychological approach, data from dialogues and internal monologues were analyzed through close reading. The findings reveal that regret is constructed through specific emotional gaps rather than direct declaration. Regret of inaction emerges as the dominant type, manifesting as 'meta-regret' in Kadokura’s decades of silence, cognitive distortion in Sunao’s grief, and interpersonal jealousy in Hikari’s postponement. While action regret typically fades through rationalization, Michiko’s case demonstrates how irreversible tragedy and the 'bankbook irony' can calcify action regret into lasting physical trauma. The study concludes that the novel is structured around the logic of inaction regret, where the café serves as a site for emotional 'behavioral repair'. By performing what was left undone, characters transform their relationship with the past, enabling forward movement.