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The Making Of The Atomic Bomb In Trinity By Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

1185 Words5 Pages

Trinity Response
The attempt to illustrate the making of the atomic bomb, which is one of America’s greatest successes, can be challenging. However, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm does a great job at depicting the history of the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombings of Japan in his graphic novel, Trinity. Fetter-Vorm provides a visual representation of the history and science that contributed to the two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The story of the Manhattan Project makes me uncomfortable because it displays the suffering of innocent Japanese citizens, the American idolization of the bomb, and the chain of events that followed the bombs and the Japanese surrender.
Trinity is a graphic novel written by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm that tells …show more content…

An instance of this is when the pilots of the Enola Gay were admiring the cloud of smoke that hovered over Hiroshima after the first atomic bomb was dropped. In the novel, a pilot is illustrated to say, “Look at that…just look at that” (110). He states this as though what he is seeing and experiencing is beautiful and spectacular, but little does he know that thousands of lives are being lost under the dark cloud. It makes me uncomfortable that instead of mourning the lives that are being lost below, the pilots comment on the looks of the cloud and joke about being able to taste the splitting of atoms. The American soldiers were so desperate for World War II to be over that they dismissed the fact that the Japanese also wanted an end to the war. I am uncomfortable when I learn that the contributors of the Manhattan Project were congratulated and acknowledged through dinner parties because of their creation that had murdered thousands. I feel as though the Americans viewed the Japanese as less than human, even though that is not the case. If Americans had followed through with the original operation, there would not have been much …show more content…

An exemplification of this is the scene of the novel in which the author introduces “Disease X”, which is a severe form of radiation exposure. Scientists explained that when the bomb detonates, gamma rays of energy travel through thousands of different materials, human bodies included. Therefore, even those who didn’t get stuck directly by the bomb, were still killed by it, it just happened slowly and silently (132-135). This scene makes me uncomfortable because after the explosion, death was continuous and America could do nothing about it. It made me feel sympathetic when I learned that the Japanese suffering from Disease X had false hope that the scientists who created the bomb had a cure to the sickness. The Americans were so desperate to end the war that they did not think of the aftermath and consequences that the Japanese were forced to face. Even after the war was over and the Japanese emperor had surrendered, the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki continued to suffer from radioactive poisoning. Not only were innocent families dying, but there were barely any hospitals and homes to attend to the sick. I continue to wonder if the President and the scientists feel guilty for the destruction that they caused. It appears neither of them took into consideration the future results

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