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Similarities Between 'Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet'

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Growing up and maturing into your own person can come with many of the difficulties and challenges of the adult world. In the bildungsroman novel “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet”, by Jamie Ford, the protagonist Henry experiences similar challenges. Henry has always been the perfect Chinese-American son to his parents. Even as he struggles to fit in at his all-white school, he still hides his own interests for the sake of his family. But as Henry comes of age shortly after the events of Pearl Harbor, he begins to develop his own opinions about the world while experiencing his first love with Keiko, who is Japanese and dealing with the persecutions of the time. While Henry discovers his true self, he experiences many challenges commonly …show more content…

Haunted by the destruction of touchable, tangible reminders of life. "I burned it all" (Ford 74). This scene in the book is not the first time Henry has seen firsthand the brutal reality of the new life of the Japanese, but it is the first time Henry has seen an adult so distraught. Henry is able to relate to the “haunted” feeling of the photographer, and witnessing the emotions being experienced shows him that the feelings Henry has are universal and that adults are not immune to the shock and pain Henry and Keiko are also feeling. Henry’s confrontations with the adult world shape his character and age him emotionally. “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” can be characterized as a bildungsroman novel when observing the acceptance of the complexities of the world the protagonist experiences. An example of this can best be seen through Henry’s observations of his mother. Although she is Henry’s supporter, she is also loyal to her husband, leaving Henry feeling isolated in his home. After explaining to his mother what Keiko is to him, despite her ethnicity, she simply …show more content…

A consolation prize, of coming in second and having nothing to show for it. Of coming up empty, having wasted your time, because in the end, what you do, and who you are, doesn’t matter one lousy bit. Nothing does” (Ford 128). This quote shows Henry’s thoughts on his mother’s mediator position between him and his father, and how Henry feels about Keiko’s situation in general. Good things and good actions done by people are not always rewarded, and Henry is able to see that with all of the actions he has done in Keiko’s aid. Even though being a good person is important, Henry is forced to learn that the world is not inherently good. Additionally, another example of the grayness Henry experiences in the world is shown when Henry accepted his role as the man of the house after his father’s passing. Henry contemplates, “Walking home with Ethel, Henry knew he had much to do. He had to help his mother prepare for the funeral. He had to pack for his trip to China. And he had to find a suitable engagement ring. Something he would do with a certain sadness. He'd do what he always did, find the sweet among the bitter” (Ford

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855 Words | 4 Pages

Their relationship echos the hassles Henry had with his parents. I noticed that Henry had a difficult time communicating with his son, Marty. “Now father and son waited in silence, ignoring the carts of dim sum that rolled by. The awkward moment was interrupted by the crash of plates somewhere in the kitchen, punctuated by men swearing at each other in Chinese and English. There was much to say and ask, but neither Henry nor Marty inched closer to the subject”.

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292 Words | 2 Pages

In novels authors often write allusions. They use allusions to make a story seem more believable or real. In the novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, allusions are used quite often. The first allusion Ford wrote was the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese bombed and ambushed Pearl Harbor and thousands of lives were left in the dust in December of 1941.

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762 Words | 4 Pages

Henry’s father is a Chinese nationalist who is always pushing Henry to be a patriotic Chinese American. When Henry’s father learns that he is friends with a Japanese girl he refuses to talk to Henry for years. Henry’s father is very involved with the war and is very against

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1062 Words | 5 Pages

At the beginning of the story, Henry is a naive young soldier who finds his worth in how others treat him. As he entered the army he “...basked in the smiles of the girls and was patted and complimented by old men, [and] he had felt growing within him the strength to do mighty deeds of arms” (6). Henry’s definition of bravery is strictly based on the praise he gets from others for his own actions. He has no sense of true courage or integrity that comes from within. After his first few battles,one in which he was forced to fight and the other in which he ran, Henry battles with his own internal demons.

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1031 Words | 5 Pages

Henry’s father has extreme feelings towards certain subjects or groups of people. Specifically, Henry’s father is against the Japanese because of the war that is currently going on, but little does he know, his son’s only friend is of Japanese descent. When Henry’s parents discovered all of Keiko’s belongings that he was hiding, that was the lowest and possibly breaking point of their relationship. Following that incident, “Henry thought about his parents. They hadn’t spoken a word to him in nearly a week.

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587 Words | 3 Pages

When Henry is growing up this shows that Henry is much more willing to accept the reality. Then be bullied on the sidelines with others that judge him. When Henry is more comfortable with him being himself he has learned that being who you are will mean so much more than people judging him because of his

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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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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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255 Words | 2 Pages

The first allusion in the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is when they mention Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was a U.S. naval base in Hawaii that was attacked by the Japanese in WWII. Today Pearl Harbor is now a memorial site for all the lives that were lost. This was the start of the war between the U.S. And Japan and the start of the mistaken mistrust between the U.S. And the Japanese race living in the U.S. This is shown clearly in the book when Henry the main character is hated at his school because they think he 's Japanese

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609 Words | 3 Pages

But Ethel explains how that is not how a relationship is supposed to be. Henry knows, “. . .deep down, Henry soon realizes that's not how he wants his relationship and starts talking to his son more often. They start to have a close relationship wanting to tell each other everything” (61). Henry and his son Marty have a close bond at the novel’s end, and he meets his Daughter-in-law Samantha, who makes a traditional Chinese dinner.

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763 Words | 4 Pages

Without Henry’s father’s accustomed Chinese beliefs, Henry may have never liked jazz or became so infatuated with a Japanese girl named Keiko. Mainly, he liked these activities because they were different from his father’s traditional views. Throughout the novel their relationship never recovered; in fact, it only became worse. The relationship between Henry and his father never improved because they never communicated, nor

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1064 Words | 5 Pages

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

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1038 Words | 5 Pages

The issues of new world and old world misunderstandings as well as contrasting values made these relationships challenging to uphold. The relationship involving Henry and his father crumbled due to vigorous values each side possessed. Even though they couldn’t preserve their relationship it created a guideline for how Henry would father Marty. The relationship gave Henry a sense of how a father should act and be the father that he never had. Henry’s relationship to Marty succeeded because of these guidelines.

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1647 Words | 7 Pages

Then he realizes that he was not going to stay with his money when he die. At the end, he helped his employee with a monetary situation. Further, he went to his nephew’s Christmas dinner. Significantly, this novel helps people retrain the meaning of being humble and kind with others. Something that is very important about this novel is that it teaches a lesson of helping others, because you are not going to stay with your money when you die.

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894 Words | 4 Pages

But, in Henry’s family, they start to turn on Henry when his father finds out that he is still friends with the Japanese girl that he had previously said Henry could not see anymore. This has a major effect on the family, “His father pointed at the door, ‘If you walk out that door—if you walk out that door now, you are no longer part of this family. You are no longer Chinese. You are not part of us anymore. Nor a part of me.’

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