What Theme Of When The Emperor Was Divine

In the novel, When the Emperor was Divine, the mode of narration that Julie Otsuka uses produces a unique story that represents what Japanese Americans went through during WWII. The historical fiction book utilizes the stories of many Japanese Americans during that time and combines them into the experiences of one family, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. In the first three chapters, Otsuka writes from a third person narrative mode in which she never mentions the main characters’ names. In chapter four, Otsuka writes from the combined point of view of the boy and the girl, and the last chapter shifts to a first-person point of view of the father. Through Otsuka’s mode of narration, the reader experiences the hardships of one Japanese

At the time, Pearl Harbor was just bombed, sending America into “a state of hysteria” (Colasurdo). Therefore, Japanese immigrants were feared due to the possibility of them being spies. The “wave of antiJapanese suspicion” (Marshall) led to Executive Order 9102, sending all Japanese Americans on the west coast to internment camps. Even though this order was extreme, the mother saw the notice on the door, “then turned around and went home and began to pack” (Otsuka 3). This shows her continuing loyalty to America, even through a time when people of her nationality were being threatened. Furthermore, Otsuka never refers to the main characters’ names for a reason. It symbolizes what the majority of Japanese Americans did during the time. They demonstrated their loyalty by following the commands they were given, showing that Executive Order 9102 was unnecessary, and that they were Americans

In chapter four, it shifts to the point of view of the brother and sister. This collective viewpoint shows the effects of Executive Order 9102 after returning home from their internment camp in the harsh conditions of Utah. After being gone for three and a half years, the kids found it difficult to fit in when they got back. The text states, “…and the students in our classes polite, but at lunchtime they would not sit with us, or invite us to join in their games…” (Otsuka 120). This shows how the American government’s drastic actions led to Japanese Americans becoming outcasts in society. Not only did they not fit in, but they felt threatened too. In the novel, the family had to sleep upstairs to avoid any objects being thrown through their windows by hateful attackers. In the 1940’s, there were reports that Japanese Americans were “beaten by white ‘hoodlums,’ and that these actions were outrageous.” (Colasurdo). Therefore, the mode of narration in When the Emperor was Divine displays the struggles that the US government put upon Japanese Americans as a whole during the WWII