Essay
In her novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, Julie Otsuka explores the effects of isolation on the identity of the family. In the book the Japanese were being taken away from their homes and being put in camps. This made them feel different as they were being given an identity that they did not want/like. Julie Otsuka utilizes the effects of isolation to argue that due to this the people feel like they have a different identity.
Before his imprisonment, the father's role in the family was a huge spot to fill which left the family members scarred. When the boy started dreaming he thought, “From his window the boy had watched as they led his father out across the lawn in his bathrobe and slippers to the black car” (74). This shows that the father being taken away took a huge part in the family's life, especially the son’s. The quote and the evidence both suggest that the father being taken away had scarred the boy's life. When the girl was on the train she dreamed about her father and thought, “I dreamed about papa,” she said. “He was wearing his fancy …show more content…
When the son tried to give her mom food in the camp it stated, “She said she no longer had any appetite” (94). This quote shows that since the mom had lost interest in the war, other aspects of her had started to change such as her diet. This all shows that since everyone was against the Japanese, the mother could no longer accept the food the camp was giving her and her family. When the mother completely loses all interest in the war it says, “she had stopped keeping track of the days. She no longer read the paper or listen to the bulletin on the radio” (93). This quote shows that the mother has stopped caring about the war and wishes to be somewhere else. This all shows that the mother had no longer wanted to be in the conflict and wanted it all to be over so that she could be in a better
In her novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, Julie Otsuka explores the effects of isolation on the identity of the family. In the book the Japanese were being taken away from their homes and being put in camps. This made them feel different as they were being given an identity that they did not want/like. Julie Otsuka utilizes the effects of isolation to argue that due to this the people feel like they have a different identity.
Before his imprisonment, the father's role in the family was a huge spot to fill which left the family members scarred. When the boy started dreaming he thought, “From his window the boy had watched as they led his father out across the lawn in his bathrobe and slippers to the black car” (74). This shows that the father being taken away took a huge part in the family's life, especially the son’s. The quote and the evidence both suggest that the father being taken away had scarred the boy's life. When the girl was on the train she dreamed about her father and thought, “I dreamed about papa,” she said. “He was wearing his fancy …show more content…
When the son tried to give her mom food in the camp it stated, “She said she no longer had any appetite” (94). This quote shows that since the mom had lost interest in the war, other aspects of her had started to change such as her diet. This all shows that since everyone was against the Japanese, the mother could no longer accept the food the camp was giving her and her family. When the mother completely loses all interest in the war it says, “she had stopped keeping track of the days. She no longer read the paper or listen to the bulletin on the radio” (93). This quote shows that the mother has stopped caring about the war and wishes to be somewhere else. This all shows that the mother had no longer wanted to be in the conflict and wanted it all to be over so that she could be in a better