The Novel When the Empire Was Divine - Book Report/Review Example

BOOK REVIEW ON WHEN THE EMPIRE WAS DIVINE Discussion In an award winning fictitious novel, Julie Asuka explores the lives of someJapanese immigrants living in the Southern part of America during the Second World War. In about four months following the Pearl Habour, Japanese Americans received instructions through signs all over the streets of the Unites States of America, to report to incarceration camps during the war period.1The writer describes this situation as a form of alienation and oppression through the use of one family. This family’s nightmare is explored from various points of view which ultimately lead to an experience that alters their lives forever1. This order led to the splitting of the family, from when the mother receives an evacuation letter, followed by the long train journey experience of the daughter, the son living in the desert military camp, the return home of the family members, as well as the release and homecoming of their father from a bitter four year captivity.2 The novel tells of a forgotten ancient American wartime episode from history. Evacuation Order In the novel ‘When The Empire Was Divine’, the writer uses different narrative modes such as narrative poise in discontinuous sections to tell the story of a Japanese – American family. The fiction book portrays the writer’s lyric gifts, an amazing ability to empathize with each character, which is accompanied by a heat seeking eye for detail.3 The story, tells of an attack on Pearl Habor, which led to the split up of a family. Despite America being at war, the writer’s illustration of a peaceful street in Berkeley is an outstanding contrast of the surrounding environment. An executive order from Roosevelt, 9066, makes the family leave their home in Berkeley, California. This leads to the detainment of the father in military camps as well as the internment of the mother and two children in the Utah desert. The writer uses spectacular assurance, through the mother’s eyes to tell the story.4 In the novel, the mother notices signs all over the street, on her way to the library. On taking a glimpse at one of them, she realizes that they were evacuation orders for the Japanese Americans. Being Japanese, the evacuation orders change her life in an instant. She thus sets out on a mission to relocate to the given areas after taking some notes on a bank receipt. Nine days after she received the evacuation notice, the mother is seen to still be packing when she receives an overdue notification from the library.5Though the situation at hand is out of her control, she does not display any emotional behaviors such as anger or frustration but rather packs her belongings just as she must do. Though life on the surface seems normal, the reality dawned on her when she realised that stores had sold out on duffel bags. It seemed that all Japanese families indulged in packing for relocation purposes, not knowing what awaited them ahead. Upon this realization, the lady proceeds home where she continues packing. She changes into a work dress and heads to her son’s bedroom. Here, she dismantles items in the room such as a map on the wall and also wraps up his stamp collection as well as Joe Plookas books from under his bed. She proceeds to pack some of her wedding gifts received from her mother in Japan and secures them in the sun room. The lady’s ability to keep her emotions under control is seen when she later relaxes from the packing activities. The writer tell us of her uncertainty in regard to their new place of relocation, nor the travelling plans and neither the knowledge of the persons who would occupy her house in absentia. Presented as a person who did not like following rules, a change in character is seen when she decides to dispose off her family pets since the evacuation notice did not allow pets on board. She gives her cat to her next door neighbors, while on the other hand kills her dog with a blow on the head by use of a shovel.6 This is due to the dog’s special condition in that he had a hearing impartiality as well as blurred eyesight. The family has a normal evening when the children come home from school, without mentioning the upcoming relocation.7 The daughter tells of her school lessons on coniferous trees, prime numbers as well as a complaint on the tough chicken served at dinner. The boy complains of the long umbrella given to him and packs his baseball glove in his suitcase. Their mother says a silent prayer in bed, while subconsciously accepting the fact that her family had to report to the civil control station as well as the Tanforan Assembly Centre as instructed. Train The second portion of the book illustrates a train journey from the temporary relocation centre in San Francisco several months later, located at the Tanforan race track, to the desert camp.8This section focuses on the eleven year old daughter. On their way to an unknown destination, the daughter views the landscape as well as the various activities carried out by the inhabitants. The dry lake as well as the scorched earth of the desert captures her eyes as she goes through the map. Since the lake was intermittent, the girl did not recognize it for it had been dry for two consecutive years. The journey is characterized by the family’s oneness since they held similar identification numbers. As they pass through one city, one of the guards urges them to put down the shades for their own security. Once they left the town, the girl reflects on the freedom of horses since they can run free. During a conversation with a man on the cue towards the toilets, the girl mentions 9her father. She narrates his capture and his stay in a treeless camp in New Mexico.10 When the Emperor was divine The third section of the book is the longest. The focus is on the brother aged eight, and this section bears the title of the entire book. The boy views all Japanese men as look a like, and sees his father in all men at the Topaz camp. The boy’s desire to reunite with his father is evident when he calls out for his father in the mess hall. The camp deprives him of his freedom and privacy. The family is forced to shares a single room, with the sound of their neighbors always present. The rules major on their freedom of worship as well as singing the name of their emperor.11 The boy reflects on the events after his father’s arrest, whereby their mother changed their lunch boxes from rice balls to jelly sandwiches. However, it dawned on him that however much they behaved American, their Japanese ancestry as well as their physical looks would never change. One year down the line, the boy recalls special moments spent with his father. Likewise, he notices his mother’s loss of appetite, as well as lack of interest in the newspapers and news bulletin. She asserts that her interest is in looking out the window to view the sea. The Homecoming The fourth section of the book illustrates the homecoming of the family, where both children voiced above combine voices. Though the surrounding environment had changed, the entire family was glad to be back home to their freedom. Key features to note in the book are the 12presence and consciousness of a Japanese – American persona.13 The presence of white Americans only appears when they interfere with the character’s space. They are seen to be impersonal authority figures, uneasy neighbors and friends who forget. However, the writer’s sarcasm is seen by representing the whites as absent.14 This can be seen in some descriptive conditions such as those said to have lodged in the Berkeley house. These events occurred during the family’s incarceration period. These whites left behind old magazines containing nude young men and women, traces of empty food tins and soiled mattresses. Since there was no furniture in the house, the family had to spend their first night on the floor downstairs. They roll out their blankets in the format of sleeping together just as they had been practicing at the camp. However, their sleep is distracted by the fear of ill-treatment on their return. Though they were no longer confined, the children still feel isolated since none of their friends relate with them.4 Stories from soldiers on war with the Japanese played a role in increasing fear in the society. Some died in the war, as others impaired some body parts, which was a constant reminder of how dangerous the Japanese were. The Confession In the next segment, the father speaks. This he does as though not a father, but as a composite alien he had become resulting from the forced circumstances. The writer uses these fragments of both perspective and time to reflect on the occurrence of events as well as to 15illustrate how it exactly happened. These fragments include some impressions of injustice on fugitives, dispossession, exile and breakdown. The children barely recognize their father, and though he is happy to be reunited with them, the confinement experience made him stay isolated. He recalls the confession document written falsefuly though it led to his release.16 The novel presents a powerful, deep humane novel telling of an unjustly forgotten wartime episode. The writer gives an honest account of an American forgotten history, which she gloriously illustrates.17 The clarity of events captures the reader’s attention from the beginning to the last page. This novel justifies the suffering of the Japanese living in America, portraying their terrible endurance. The book’s strength is in the unsentimental prose while illustrating a world which suddenly goes foreign to the Japanese. The writer also tensely reflects the protagonist’s emotional state which is calm on the surface, whereas handling a lot of turmoil beneath. This is well illustrated by the use of short sentences with deep significance. Bibliography Girdner, Audrie and Loftis, Anne. The Great Betrayal: The Evacuation of the Japanese-Americans During World War II. The Macmilan Company.1969, 326 – 510. Levine, Ellen. A Fence Away From Freedom: Japanese Americans and World War II. Putnam Juvenile. 1995, 101-215. Munley, Lisa. Books on The Brain. Book Review. 2009. Otsika, Julie. When The Emperor Was Divine. New York: Anchor Books. 2003, 1-160. Taylor, Sandra. Jewel of the Desert: Japanese American Internment at Topaz. University of California Press. 1993, 122-305. Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family. University of Washington Press. 1984, 23-100. Upchurch, Michael. The Last Round Up. The New York Times. 2002, 144. Read More