Selfishness In Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet

Selfishness is a trait that many people struggle with overcoming because it is human nature to take care of themselves before others. Being able to be understanding of others while also maintaining beneficial self-care is portrayed as a difficult task, but in this book, readers can see how simple it can be. Although having his struggles, Henry put Keiko before himself time and time again because he knew how unfair her situation was. He fought for her, helping her along the journey because of the injustice that every Japanese was forced to undergo during that period. In the novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, the character Henry plays an impactful role by conveying an altruistic side of his personality when putting others before himself.

Starting at the beginning after meeting Keiko, Henry decides to walk her home from school every day even though she lives in Japantown. Although his father prohibits him from going near that side of town, he does it anyway to confirm that Keiko makes it home safely. The two of them got comfortable with their daily routine of eating lunch together, doing their school duties, and finally walking home together, but almost every day someone had something to say about it. While leaving school one day, they were approached by school bully Chaz who confronted them saying, “... Where do you think you’re going--Jap lover?” (Ford 23). Even after essentially being attacked by Chaz for simply being together, it did not stop Henry or Keiko from being with each other every day. Henry knew that this was going to happen whether or not he was with Keiko, so he had to make certain that he was the one there to protect her. He knew that Chaz was not going to get in trouble by displaying these actions, nor was he going to stop if he did. As was stated previously, courage works hand-in-hand with being selfless and Henry showed just

Many people would confuse the two ethnicities causing unnecessary altercations. Henry could have easily been selfish at the time and made sure that he was safe because he knew that he was not Japanese, but he continued to show readers that it was more than that. He knew that it was not fair for the Japanese to be taken away, especially those in the same boat as Keiko who was born in America. Through everything, he continued to fight for her because he knew deep down that it was the right thing to do. When the Japanese were finally forced to leave the area, Henry fought through crowds to find Keiko and her family so that he could do everything in his power to keep them safe. While trying to figure out ways to keep them in the same place it was said that, “Henry’s heart raced as he fumbled, trying to take his own button off.” (Ford 134). Even in such a difficult situation, he was willing to give up the one thing truly keeping him safe in such an area. He did not know how he was going to carry out this plan, but it just shows how caring Henry was. Even in the last seconds of seeing Keiko, he continued to put her first because he wanted her safe. His love for Keiko was ultimately the strongest force pushing him to be