#3- Battle Rages On!

Hello again, in this blog entry we will delve deeper into the situations the narrator faces as the war between U.S. and Japan proceeds. Shortly after the Narrator and other men along with Cobra and Chik ventured out to the dense forest in search of paratroopers, it was found out that the word had only been a rumor. While the narrator was in that total darkness, he thought he had heard an enemy amongst the foliage and open fired. After the bullets flew and hit something huge, whatever had been shot thumped to the floor. Afraid there may be more enemies, the narrator solemnly stood his ground and did not move an inch. In the morning lights, he got up to see what had been killed was not a man, but a cow. At first this did not really have much significance. But as I read on, I came to realize this cow could be a great symbolism for a core conflict being faced by all Japanese Americans, such as the narrator/Cobra/Chik/ etc. The cow is an animal, peaceful and not thought of as harmful. As it integrates both colors of white and black, this represents the narrator. Throughout the story, he is faced with constant harassment because of his race, being called a Jap. Offensive as the word may be, it is not the context, but the meaning of not being considered an ‘american’ that hurts most. The narrator loves his country, and makes clear how loyal he is to it. Yet he cannot deny the fact that he is also Japanese. He is like the cow, the colors of black and white referring to his Japanese background and American culture. The cow was helpless at night as it was shot down, just like the situation has deemed the narrator helpless as he is shuffled and pushed around due to this war.

            One scene where I was struck with disbelief was when all the Japanese American soldiers; including the narrator, were asked to step out of their bunks and sleep in tents setup in the middle of a field one night. The fact that they were asked to do so was not surprising.  The fact that the narrator was met with a circle of eyes upon him as he got up and emerged from his tent burned an image into my brain. All around, was a circle of machine guns and eyes. The narrator and others were under guard. What had they done though? Nothing. It was simply the distrust towards Japs that caused this situation. If one face had to be put on this racist act and unfair treatment, would be Sweet. The lieutenant who especially despised the narrator and just had no trust was brutal and irked me. All throughout the section, Sweet would ridicule and cause the narrator to boil with anger. Sweet just did not believe any Japanese could be on America’s side. Sweet would continue to threaten and harass the Japs secretly and subtly, telling the narrator and other men that they would get shot without hesitation if they showed any sign of retaliation or move against the military. In one instance the narrator was positioned along the beach in watch of approaching Japanese invaders, while a whole line of other machine guns and men were set up right behind him. This was to ensure that if the narrator may “turn around” and go against the military, it would be no problem to just aim and kill the narrator. Each moment Sweet shows disrespect and signs of different treatment just to Japs, the narrator gets angrier and angrier. I feel as if in the future sections, Sweet will push it too far and the narrator will violently lash out or maybe even kill him.

            “To them we all look like Hirohito. They see us, they see the guys in those planes dropping bombs on them. We got the eyes of the Emperor. They scared of us. Scared.” I love when I find that one page in the book where the title of the book fits into the context or situation. Thinking on it, there couldn’t have been a better name for this book. Of course the U.S. is at war with Japan, and the Emperor is heading the war. But what I find cruel is that the reality of the situation is, all the Americans and people like Sweet just see all the Japs as the enemy. They see the same eyes as if they stared into the Emperor’s eyes. This distrust is what deeply conflicts the narrator as he struggles through the story. I was also disappointed at the fact that every time the narrator and crew were stationed to different places, they never got a position in the front lines of war. They thrived and sought for an opportunity to serve their country but just would not be allowed anywhere near the battle. Of course this also may be a good thing as well, seeing that not being near battles meant they would all always be safe and live another day. Something that made me think was the situation when Sakamaki was captured. He was an enemy Japanese soldier who had been caught from his submarine. He was deathly scared yet strict to his honor. He wanted to be shot to withhold his pride because being captured was a shameful thing. No matter how similar Sakamaki was from the narrator culturally, they were worlds apart in heart and loyalties. Sakamaki was compared to the narrator’s father, so that made me contemplate, does this mean or show how far apart the narrator and his Pops is from each other?

            http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/pearlhbr.htm

This website is very helpful in supplying information on the happenings surrounding the events and setting of the book. The bombing in Pearl Harbor was a strategic move planned that took out the U.S.’s Navy battleship force. This was so the Japanese Empire’s southward expansion would not be deterred. Now America had no choice but to be involved in WWII. As the Pearl Harbor was being bombed, this was when the narrator was faced to take cover and head to Schofield barracks. As bombs were dropping and shook the whole island, he knew war was declared.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ0rxaEHZEo

This battle known as Midway was the “turning point” of the war. It was a much needed win in order to boost morale and keep the Japanese at bay. This weakened their fleets and gave opportunity for the U.S. to counterattack on the offensive. This was when the narrator and other men were cramped under the 3^rd deck of the boat on their long journey to San Francisco. After hearing the U.S. had won the battle at Midway, the narrator had witnessed the longest cheer he had ever heard. It comforted the narrator to know that his family would now be safe back at home. If the Japs had won, Hawaii might and probably would have been in danger and been captured.