The Uncomfortable Truth: Executive Order #9066 A child’s innocence is one of the purest things to have. As children grow up, that same innocence resembles the falling of sand in an hourglass, slowly disappearing. As that innocence disappears, children and even their parents are forced into an awakening of what the world is truly capable of. In Julie Otsuka’s When the Emperor was Divine: A Novel, we read about the events involving two children and their parents who are harshly adjusted to the reality of Japanese Americans during their internment during World War II. Otsuka uses symbolism of the color white to reveal the change in the characters’ lives compared to how they previously lived, ultimately revealing how much of an impact the world can have on a person.
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The American flag symbolizes the victory won by the returning soldiers. However, the stories of the Japanese Americans were uncomfortable for society to hear and were chosen to be forgotten about. The American survivors are treated as heroes while holding white flags of innocence, which is ironic because of how they treated their Japanese American neighbors. Throughout the novel, the color white stands for purity and innocence as well as discrimination and social injustice at the same time. Through the color white, Julie Otsuka uses human experiences to reveal the importance of resilience. The impact of an experience can determine how difficult one’s life can become afterward. White, being symbolized, creates an understanding of the past and the transformation the characters undergo. This transformation highlights the adversity needed to face discrimination and discomfort. The detail provided by Otsuka gives a clear understanding of the effects of discrimination. The resilience found within the characters allows this novel to be inspirational to all who need encouragement and
The American flag symbolizes the victory won by the returning soldiers. However, the stories of the Japanese Americans were uncomfortable for society to hear and were chosen to be forgotten about. The American survivors are treated as heroes while holding white flags of innocence, which is ironic because of how they treated their Japanese American neighbors. Throughout the novel, the color white stands for purity and innocence as well as discrimination and social injustice at the same time. Through the color white, Julie Otsuka uses human experiences to reveal the importance of resilience. The impact of an experience can determine how difficult one’s life can become afterward. White, being symbolized, creates an understanding of the past and the transformation the characters undergo. This transformation highlights the adversity needed to face discrimination and discomfort. The detail provided by Otsuka gives a clear understanding of the effects of discrimination. The resilience found within the characters allows this novel to be inspirational to all who need encouragement and