Henry Thoeau once warned "Never look back unless you intend to go in that direction." This applies to Stevens in "The Remains of the Day." Stevens embarks on a journey from Darlington Hall with the purpose of finding "new discoveries", however he does the opposite as the journey leads to the discovery of his past mistakes which highlight his missed opportunities, so all he can do is look back on life with regrets. A gentleman advises Stevens, "Don't keep looking back all the time, you're bound to get depressed." The ironic tone highlights that it is too late for Stevens to be warned as he has been emotionally repressed during his employment at Darlington Hall. Chad Murray also believed that "Our greatest regrets are not for the things we've done, but for the things we've done." I have not." Murray's quote accentuates Hardy's downfall as his greatest regret was that he stopped loving his wife, Emma, ​​towards the end of their marriage, and this regret haunted him for the rest of of his life. Hardy also reflects John Proctor's regret for committing adultery with Abigail in "The Crucible."Proctor's remorse not only haunted him, but also haunted the town of Salem. a person's mistake not only affects that individual, but also affects those around him "The Remains of the Day", "The Crucible" and Hardy's collection of poems "1912-13" allow us to ask why people. do they regret actions they once believed were the right thing to do? These lyrics also point out that people don't regret their mistakes until something goes wrong, or until they lose someone close to them, so one has to wonder if the whether regret is a mechanism for coping with the loss, or whether it reflects a sincere a.... .. middle of paper ......the atmosphere of regret will remain the same regardless of the change in period and genre. Many people can use remorse to reassure themselves, for example Hardy, who seemed to see his remorse as a means of proving that he once loved his wife. While others use remorse to accentuate their apologies, similar to Proctor who spent his life describing his remorse and praying for his wife's forgiveness. Most people make mistakes and use their regret as a means to improve themselves; However, I believe that people will not regret their mistake until it is discovered or until they have lost someone close to them, like Hardy. However, Ishiguro encourages us as readers to take every opportunity we are given in life, otherwise "Year after year passes and nothing gets better." All we will do is argue and debate and procrastinate and ultimately regret our wasted opportunities.