Internment Camps

When talking about beloved presidents, one of the first that comes to mind is Franklin D. Roosevelt. According to InsideGov.com, FDR ranks third in average approval rating of all US presidents. Many people, however, do not realize that FDR was the president during the start of World War Two, and most importantly was the president who directed the Japanese-Americans to internment camps. In the novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, we get a more intimate look into the way these internment camps affected people of the time. Ford paints a picture of distrust and fear through the flashbacks of Henry, a boy of Chinese descent who grew up in 1942 around the time Pearl Harbor was bombed. A multitude of relationships play a role

Because Henry’s father was a first generation immigrant to the United States from China, he had an extreme sense of national pride. On the other hand, Henry is extremely open to all things American which is a catalyst to the formation of a divide between Henry and his father. This difference between them all starts because in an effort to protect his son from discrimination; Mr. Lee sends Henry to an all white school and refuses to let him speak Cantonese at home, even though Cantonese is the only language Mr. and Mrs. Lee can speak. The separation causes Henry to grow up almost without any parental help. Mr. Lee also despises Henry’s friend, Keiko, who is a Japanese-American girl also going to school with Henry. He also stops their letters from going through while Keiko is in the internment camp in Idaho. The relationship holds together Henry and his father’s lives is one of true distrust and disdain. This impacts Henry’s life by convincing him to give up on his dream of being with Keiko and forces him to become more

This relationship starts out very strained, but grows to be very healthy. When we first meet Marty, Ethel has just died, which was a difficult part of Henry’s life. Also, Marty believes that Henry wishes to be treated the same way Henry treats his father. As time goes on however, Marty spends more time with his father and begins to realize that his father is not his grandfather. The interaction between these two helps not only Henry but also Marty accept Ethel’s death. Marty also introduces Henry to his fiancee, Samantha. As Henry no longer has a wife to spend time with, Marty and Samantha fill this void giving him friends and love. This relationship helps Henry heal his broken heart and fill it with love and