Where the road sloped upward beyond the trees, I sat and looked toward the building where Naoko lived. It was easy to tell which room was hers. All I had to do was find the one window toward the back where a faint light trembled. I focused on that point of light for a long, long time. It made me think of something like the final throb of a soul's dying embers. I wanted to cup my hands over what was left and keep it alive. I went on watching the way Jay Gatsby watched that tiny light on the opposite shore night after night.
The passage describes a reflective moment where the narrator gazes at the light from Naoko's room, symbolizing a deep emotional connection. The faint light serves as a reminder of her presence, evoking feelings of longing and a wish to preserve her essence. The comparison to Gatsby's unwavering gaze at the green light enhances this theme of desire and unattainable dreams.
This imagery conveys a sense of melancholy as the narrator admires the fragile flicker that represents Naoko's spirit. The longing to protect that light mirrors a broader quest to grasp fleeting moments of love and connection, emphasizing the bittersweet nature of memory and yearning in the face of loss.