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Influence Of Life In Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter Sweet By Jamie Ford

909 Words4 Pages

In the novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter Sweet, by Jamie Ford, Ford clearly depicts the strife of Asian Americans during the 1940s. The 1940s was a treacherous time for Asian Americans as a result of the recent Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Chinese American Henry Lee lived in Seattle’s Chinatown, during the 1940s. Henry frequently had exposure to prejudiced people for looking similar to the Japanese. The novel often flashes forward to the 1980s when Henry is older. Older Henry reflects on his childhood and how his friends and family have influenced his persona during his lifetime. The alterations in Henry’s life have shaped him into the character he is at the end of the novel. Henry experiences numerous significant connections throughout …show more content…

I love her. Henry paused at the thought. He didn’t even know what that was, or what it meant, but he felt it, burning in his chest—feeling fuzzy inside. Nothing else seemed to matter. Not the somber crowd of camp workers drifting to the barbed-wire gate. Not the machine guns in the towers above. (234)
Henry and Keiko tried their best to communicate with each other as long as they could, but eventually, they lost touch. Henry left Keiko knowing the true meaning of love. The type of love he was not able to receive from his father. Henry’s experiences as a child taught him about love for his future. Henry carried his experiences to his marriage with Ethel and eventually with his son, Marty.
Throughout this coming-of-age novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Ford illustrates the life of Henry Lee and his growth throughout his lifetime. Henry’s relationships during his life greatly contributed to his character today. Henry learned from his father’s actions, a personality that he did not want to portray as a person. Henry learned from his childhood father-son relationship and over time repaired his relationship with Marty. Keiko greatly influenced Henry’s outlook on love and taught him the true feelings of love. Overall, the challenges and life lessons Henry has experienced in his life guided him to become his

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Summary Of Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet

855 Words | 4 Pages

(Ford 40) Their silence reminds me of the dispute that Henry had with his father when he walked out to retrieve Keiko’s photo album. Henry it's perfect in parenthood, but ultimately he reached out to Marty and tells him about Keiko. As they connect, Henry thinks about the past and started to learn from it which caused him to construct a greater relationship with his son because he didn't have a chance with his own Father. the book, the reader also learns about Henry's earlier life, and what happened to Keiko.

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Similarities Between Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet

762 Words | 4 Pages

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, shows the struggles and triumphs throughout Henry Lee as a child and as an adult. Ford compares his life as a boy growing up, to the present when Henry has his own family. Henry wants to be a good father for his son, after he had a bad relationship with his own father growing up. Marty Henry’s son grew up like Henry not being very close with his father. Henry grows up in an extremely traditional Chinese household.

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While Henry never told anyone about his feelings, he showed it in his actions. Although this story never states the upcoming suicide, Henry changes after returning home. I assume that he felt as if he had nothing to live for, so once he finished rebuilding their convertible, he began making amends with his brother. People who are close

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Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Character Traits

1031 Words | 5 Pages

He observes, interacts, learns, and grows from those select people to develop his personality. Henry’s evolving relationships with his most loved friend Keiko, his father Mr. Lee, and his son Marty, shape him into the noticeably different character he is at the end of the novel. The character that arguably impacted

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Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Quotes

957 Words | 4 Pages

Jamie Ford’s novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, displays the lasting effects of the less mentioned details of WWII. Executive Orders 9102 and 9066 altered the lives of many loyal citizens, especially people of Japanese descent and those near to them. Countless people, like the Okabes, lost their homes and belongings as they were unfairly sent away to internment camps. Numerous of their belongings remain unclaimed in places like the Panama Hotel in Seattle as people attempt to forget their inhumane treatment during this time. Many residents of the United States, such as Mr. Lee, unfortunately agreed with this treatment.

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Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Analysis

741 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine growing up where all you ever hear about is the war and suddenly befriending what many call “the enemy.” Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is a novel about Henry Lee, a young Chinese-American boy, who befriends and falls in love with a Japanese-American girl, Keiko Okabe. As Henry faces different challenges he begins to grow up and make important decisions that impact him later on. He also realizes that what everyone else saw to be a threat were actually all Americans just like them. Throughout the novel, Henry faces racism, problems with his family, and the horrors of watching his best friend and her family become prisoners of an internment camp.

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Relationships In Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet

609 Words | 3 Pages

Although Henry looked up to his father and wanted to change many things his father did while parenting, he still loved and cared for his father, especially when he had a stroke and Henry saw Him dying. Even though he kept the letters, Henry sent them out to Keiko to protect Henry in a way Henry could not quite understand. In addition to Henry and his father's relationship. Henry thought that culturally he was supposed not to have a close relationship with his son just like he did with his father.

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Theme Of Conflict In Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet

763 Words | 4 Pages

Edgar Allen Poe, a brilliant author, once said, “Years of love have been forgot, In the hatred of a minute.” In the novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, several characters encounter this type of conflict, specifically the main character Henry. Throughout the novel, several conflicts occur, and the time frame of the setting emphasizes these conflicts. This novel takes place during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which was an attack by the Japanese.

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Faced with stereotypes in America, Lee is also tormented in China for his American nationality and lack of modern cultural awareness. Both communities view Lee and Chinese-Americans as “others”, refusing to fully accept them culturally or socially. Lee is foreign everywhere, since he is not a white American or a Chinese citizen. Only able to find solidarity in the community of “othered” Chinese-Americans, Lee feels more accepted in America than in China. However, those that only see Lee for his ethnicity and not for his inner person are racist against him because he does not fit the mold of what a “perfect” American is supposed to look and sound like.

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Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Quotes

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This creates a void between them that leads Henry to walking out and being disowned by his family,

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Despite all the horrors that they face, the small family shares a deep connection. This allows for meaning and value in their lives amid all the suffering and pain. The existence of this relationship makes the struggle worthwhile. Many of the days the man and boy spend together they are working toward a common goal, the man teaching the boy about many things and the kid teaching his father to not leave the other good guys behind. For example, he coerces his father into giving food to an old, nearly blind man.

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Racial Encounters In Henry's Life

207 Words | 1 Pages

His own father disrespects their own culture, which makes Henry feel very emotional and ask himself how did he get to where he is right now. When Henry eventually meets his new friend, Keiko, his family does not approve of them, as they do not like that they are japanese, as the author says: “Almost as scared as he was to tell his parents he was meeting Keiko. He'd

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Describe The Differences Between Phoners And Movie Eaters

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While eater movie goers and phoner movie goers are different in what they are noisy with, how they’re noisy, and different ways, they are primarily SIMILAR. First eaters and phoners are alike in how they are annoying, they are annoying in that they are both noisy. Phoners sit on their phones throughout the whole movie with the phone going off every two minutes. Eaters sit there shaking their cups seeing if there’s any drink left, or doing the same with their candy or popcorn. Also, eater movie goers and phoner moviegoers share that they’re distracting.

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Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Quotes

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The author Jamie Ford develops the theme that race does not define one’s nationality during World War II, though the novel and shows how standing up for oneself can affect one’s character. This concept is developed in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet when the main character, Henry, and his friend Keiko go to a department store when Henry gets bullied by people that go to his school, and when he walks out on his father. Henry and Keiko are connected through their memories. One, was when they venture off to a large department store in Downtown Seattle in search for an Oscar Holden record.

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