In memory's telephoto lens, far objects are magnified.

Updike’s image likens memory to a telephoto lens: it compresses distance and enlarges what is far away. The line suggests that the past—especially events long gone—can loom disproportionately large in our minds, gaining clarity, drama, or emotional weight as time recedes. It also hints at distortion: like a telephoto shot that flattens perspective, recollection can magnify selected details while stripping away surrounding context, making remote experiences seem more vivid or significant than they were. The metaphor captures nostalgia’s double edge: heightened appreciation and heightened illusion.