Yochida's Pride In Yoshiko Uchidas 'Desert Exile'

Kate Knippa
March 28, 2023
History 106 - Vaught
American Japanese Pride: A Closer Look as Yoshiko Uchida’s Experiences The comprehensive devastation that came as a result of the forced removal of all Japanese from the west coast into war camps after the attacks on Pearl Harbor wreaked havoc within family units as well as the Japanese community in their entirety. It also spurred a return and appreciation for their ethnic origin, and a search for a sense of belonging in American society that was denied from them. Yoshiki Uchidas experiences during exile are no exception. In Yoshiko Uchida’s “Desert Exile,” she reflects on her forced displacement and conveys a collective spirit of courage and perseverance which ultimately establishes

One of the fundamental aspects shaping Uchida’s pride in being a Japanese American is her upbringing and family life. Her childhood, which was informed by her relative well-being, allowed her to immerse into American society more seamlessly than others. From early stages, her American pride sparked because she knew no differently, and had yet to be stripped of basic rights and unjustly imprisoned. Her environment was one to be envied as she grew up in a safe area attending school and lived in comfort due to her parents financial status. However, it would be naive to say Uchida was completely unhindered from finding a sense of entire belonging in American society because there did exist some key and unavoidable differences. Being Japanese, her appearance deviated from most of her community around her and at school which introduced an element of outsiderness. Uchida and her sister wrestled with this tension of having two identities to be fused; from their Japanese appearance, Americans would never consider them “full

Uchida suffered the drastic changes that took place when going from a relatively idyllic childhood to having her innocence questioned and being treated as a national threat. As she reflects on displacement, she recognizes the certain irony in being treated as a national threat. She makes an insightful comment, wondering how much the nation's security would be in jeopardy had they waited a couple more days for the camps to be adequately prepared for the families' occupancy. Nevertheless, her family's exile was forcibly expedited and they made frantic efforts to evacuate their house within just 10 short days. They were essentially living in a horse stall with no stimulation which triggered a palpable sadness and boring demeanor. The rooms did not even have mattresses and there was a lack of clean water. She would be stripped of her basic rights and needs and barricaded by barbed wire and armed guards, despite the fact that she had never wronged anyone. Her entire wellbeing was decimated. The Japanese Americans faced conditions that were nothing like they had experienced before; small and cramped living spaces which were often dirty, they were fed with bad quality food, and the lines for everything were long. In the mornings, Uchida was served canned sausages dropped on her plate with the servers own fingers haphazardly, and she