What Are The Common Themes In Farewell To Manzanar

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 initiated the United States to be part of, what became, World War II. The attack brought feelings of fear about national security to the United States citizens, causing President Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 9066, which required the internment of Japanese Americans. The Japanese American internment camps played a significant, lasting role in Japanese and American history as many people still learn about the event today. The amount of racism that Japanese Americans experienced during World War II can be compared to the amount of racism all Asian Americans have encountered recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic Although many people have a basic understanding of this event, most discussions

Farewell to Manzanar is a nonfiction text written by Jeanne Wakatsuki, who was interned with her family at the age of seven at Manzanar in 1942. The book explores how life at the camps had a lasting impact on Wakatsuki and her family. The novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, explores similar themes surrounding Japanese American internment. The novel follows an unnamed family through their time in an internment camp in Utah and highlights experiences that were common for all Japanese American internees.
Many who have a limited understanding of the camps may assume that the conditions of the camps were humane. For example, in the Encyclopedia Britannica, the description of the conditions of the camps acknowledges some negative features by describing the internment camps as “spare, without many amenities. The camps were ringed with barbed-wire fences and patrolled by armed guards, and there were isolated cases of internees being killed” (“Japanese American Internment.” Encyclopedia Britannica). The description goes on to dismiss these negative features and instead make the camps seem to have been “run humanely. Residents established a sense of community, setting up schools, newspapers, and more, and children

“The government and military’s lack of common sense regarding women and children’s needs in the camp led to many uncomfortable and unsanitary health issues to which physicians had to care for” (Health Medicine in American History) with the very limited medical equipment and supplies they had. “Many times, supplies did not come promptly, leaving patients having to wait days for care. Conditions of medical assistance were also not up to par with the usual practices of the time” (Health Medicine in American History). The Japanese American physicians were paid less than $25 every month and were forced to live in the conditions the internees lived in. The fact that many doctors continued to assist their community demonstrated their determination to carry on practicing despite little to no support from the government. Along with the lack of medical supplies, the lack of edible and healthy food was also a health issue in the camps. There were numerous outbreaks of food poisoning due to the rotten, moldy food some were served. Other internees were not fed enough or not given the adequate food necessary for their health concerns. Upon being released from the camps, “survey information found former internees had a 2.1 greater risk of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality, and premature death than did a non-interned counterpart” (“Children of the Camps |