“But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized that being in camp, that being Japanese-American, was something shameful”(Takei). When the Emperor Was Divine a novel written by Julie Otsuka. The author tells a story of when a Japanese-American family was sent to a desert internment camp on the orders of the President. Living the American Dream is not possible for all nationalities as exemplified in When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka, shown from before, during, and after the internment camp. Opens with describing the family as having achieved a stable economic lifestyle. According to Library of Congress, the definition of the “American Dream” is “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with the opportunity
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“She crossed California Street and bought several bars of Lux soap and a large jar of face cream and the Rumford Pharmacy” (1.4). She took her perfect lifestyle for granted. She didn't have to work a day in her life achieved economic stability early in life. She forgot about her Japanese heritage, she acts as if she's a regular American instead of a Japanese American. the Woman wants to cover up who she is and where she came from because she doesn't want to “be mistaken for the enemy”(4.114). Once they returned from the camp they had to lay low and pretend to be someone they weren't. The Woman felt that her social status allowed her to call people by their first name “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you, Joe.” She has been going to Joe Lundy’s store for years and never called him by his first …show more content…
“We would dress just like they did. We would change our name to sound more like theirs...We would never be mistaken for the enemy again”(4.114). They felt the immediate hate from anyone and everyone when they returned. They did not want to associate themselves with the Japanese culture so that they wouldn't be seen as the enemy. The people who were friendly towards them before the camp shunned them once they returned. According to the Densho website before the Japanese Americans were sent off to camps most had jobs and owned farms, but once they returned they had trouble finding jobs. Most homes were destroyed and lost their
“She crossed California Street and bought several bars of Lux soap and a large jar of face cream and the Rumford Pharmacy” (1.4). She took her perfect lifestyle for granted. She didn't have to work a day in her life achieved economic stability early in life. She forgot about her Japanese heritage, she acts as if she's a regular American instead of a Japanese American. the Woman wants to cover up who she is and where she came from because she doesn't want to “be mistaken for the enemy”(4.114). Once they returned from the camp they had to lay low and pretend to be someone they weren't. The Woman felt that her social status allowed her to call people by their first name “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you, Joe.” She has been going to Joe Lundy’s store for years and never called him by his first …show more content…
“We would dress just like they did. We would change our name to sound more like theirs...We would never be mistaken for the enemy again”(4.114). They felt the immediate hate from anyone and everyone when they returned. They did not want to associate themselves with the Japanese culture so that they wouldn't be seen as the enemy. The people who were friendly towards them before the camp shunned them once they returned. According to the Densho website before the Japanese Americans were sent off to camps most had jobs and owned farms, but once they returned they had trouble finding jobs. Most homes were destroyed and lost their