It is disturbing to see that the Hibakusha both discriminated because of their physical appearance/disabilities and neglected of any aid from the government until much later. This shows us that the Hikabusha had to fend for themselves to the extent that they started giving up on themselves. Sadly, this is rather similar to what happened to concentration camp inmates in "Night".
The fact that the Hibakusha were at first suspicious of the health books because of their distrust of the government. It is ironic the way they distrust the government although they were extremely patriotic just years before.
I think Mrs. Nakamura's post-war life simply tells us that people can live on despite all hardships if they work hard which is demonstrated by her effort to keep her family alive.
Unlike Mrs. Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki tries to distance himself from the past and focuses on the future. Due to his minimal injuries, he manages to escape from the reality of being a "survivor". I think he is merely unwilling to face society and fate.
It is interesting to note how his treatment of keloid scars seems to do more harm than good. This shows us how he has good intentions but does the wrong things to solve the problem. This can be related to current global issues where organizations/countries have good intentions but make wrong actions. For example, human rights organizations often say that large factories in Africa are paying the workers minimum wages. Nevertheless, due to the market prices in those regions, locals would think the pay is reasonable.
Another example of having good intentions but not necessarily doing the right thing is Father Kleinsorge. He endangered his own life to help others although he was in as much a precarious situation as they were. He became overly obsessed with helping others that he lived selflessly. Nevertheless, it demonstrates his internal desire to help. In all the characters, Father Kleinsorge is undoubtedly the most caring at heart.
His change in name shows us a sense of Japanese community. It shows us that Japan was where Father Kleinsorge thought he belonged. Originally, before the bomb he felt oppressed by the Japanese locals. Ironically, after the bombing he was pulled closer to the Japanese community as a Hibakusha.
It seems that most of the people involved in them bombing are able to eventually put it behind them. They try to keep doing what they did before the bombing, even though they can still be affected by the aftereffects of the bomb.
Mrs. Nakamura tries to continue sewing, but the effects of the atom bomb mean that it is hard for her to do one job for a long time. However, she is eventually able to find a job with an owner who doesn't care that she's a hibakusha. She also cheers up and gets a health book so that she can enjoy life.
Dr. Sasaki is, for a long time, unable to help with the hospital due to his terrible memories. However, he eventually opens up a new clinic and bath house for elderly patients. He is rather healthy, the only lasting effect being that he has to have a lung removed. He also puts the memories behind him, eventually learning to live with them if they come up.
Father Kleinsorge, despite his own, rather serious injuries, is more concerned about others than about himself. Any gifts he gets he gives away to people he thinks need them more than he does. He also takes on a Japanese identity, wanting to fit in more with the people of Japan. Although he is the quickest to die, he still manages to do good.
Chuni: It's sad to see the discrimination of the hibakusha and their distrust of the government. However, their distrust probably comes from how the government hasn't provided them with anything until now. As a result, they wonder why they are suddenly being offered free health care, and are naturally suspicious.
Wow. I greatly respect Mrs. Nakamura right now. I mean, she is forced to sell her sewing machine to save her life, and the sewing machine is the thing that allows her to work in order to earn money to buy food to keep her and her children alive. It's actually kind of ironic. But then, she gets a job at a factory that produces mothballs. Also, the Japanese are supposed to have a strong sense of community. Where was that sense of community when it came to employing hibakusha? the government and those not affected either refused to help them or ignored them, pretending they weren't there, the way a bunch of narrow-minded parents do when their kid doesn't turn out as expected. the irony...
Even years after the bomb, some people with the radiation sickness can’t work in certain places, which is the reason why Nakamura can’t get a job and why she is living in poverty now. The prejudice against those who were affected by the bomb had the result of many people not being able to earn money to support their lives. Dr. Sasaki’s life turns out to be a tragedy but he still doesn’t give up—he is still helping people in the hospital forty years after the bomb, which shows more of his personality. As for Father Kleinsorge, he becomes a Japanese citizen and changes his name. His sickness from the radiation made him die early, but his life after the bomb was okay—he had a close friendship with his cook and nurse. These three characters’ lives years after the bomb were described by John Hersey one by one—in different sections of the chapter. The bomb has changed their lives forever. No matter if it is physical-wise, friendship-wise, physiological-wise, or personality-wise.
Even years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, many survivors still are affected by it. For example, many employers don't like to hire people with the radiation sickness in the years after the war, and as a result, Nakamura faces a lot of poverty and difficulty for a long time. Only until a law passed in 1975, did Mrs. Nakamura finally be able to live comfortably. Dr. Sasaki quits working at the Red Cross Hospital in 1951 because of the awful experiences there. We can see from this how horrifying it is to see victims of the atomic bomb pour into the hospital day and night, and later on, a hospital full of corpses that nobody could take away.
It is certainly interesting to see the changes in the survivors after such a horrific event. Forty years after the bombing, everything seems normal. All of Mrs. Nakamura's children grew up and were successful, and everyone seems pretty much well off.
However, those are appearances only. From what we have seen, Nakamura, along with the others, all still suffer the effects of radiation sickness, and their strings of fate have definitely been cut short, and it is more than likely that they will all die from some sort of cancer.
Even though Mrs. Nakumara had been discriminated as the Hibakusha, however her desire to survive and protect her family is very commendable. She had been forced to give up her sewing machine and her favorite kimonos to buy food for her family. In contrast with night, I think that Mrs. Nakumara is not dehumanized mentally like the prisoners are in the concentration camps. She didn’t abandon her children in order to survive, however she kept working out of poverty even though she has severe radiation diseases that forced her to rest for a few days. As a Hibakusha, the job opportunities are limited because the nonhibakusha employers had forbidden the Hibakusha to work in their companies. Also, her husband and relatives had died in the bombing in Hiroshima, which separates her into a desolate situation in which she has to fight for herself and her family. Despite all these impediments Mrs. Nakumara had faced in the following days, she still managed to cope with this situation and avoided the destitution.
As hikabusha, each of the survivors manages to live and find strength from different things such as overcoming hardships, helping others, and believing in their religion. Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura faces poverty and destitution because many employers are reluctant to hire people with A-bomb sickness. She ends up working for thirteen years at a factory, retiring when her son can support the family. Her children marry and move away, and she finally begins to live comfortably on month allowances passed by the government to victims of the atomic bomb. She learns to care for herself, enjoying things such as dancing and embroidery, and avoids any political displays related to the bombing. Haunted by his awful memories of August 6, 1945, Dr. Terefumi Sasaki spends his time dealing with keloids at the Red Cross Hospital. He married well, and set up a private clinic in Makaihara, putting Hiroshima behind. A series of tragedies followed the rest of his life. He became diagnosed with lung cancer because of his smoking habits, and had to remove his left lung. He nearly dies in the operation. Then, his wife dies of breast cancer. The experiences drive him to devote his life to using his success to build bigger and better medical facilities and helping people. Father Kleinsorge becomes a Japanese citizen and takes the name Father Makoto Takakura. He never gives up trying to help and convert people in Hiroshima, and eventually overworks himself. After the bomb, he never gets over his radiation sickness, and his health deteriorates while he helps others. He dies one year after a fall and a fractured back leaving him bedridden, and the author notes that there were always flowers on his grave.
In this chapter, we acknowledge the lives of the characters years after the bombing. Nakamura became poor and weak and it was hard for her to earn money when her body is not well fit. Every day, “her willpower and her weariness seemed to fight to an uneasy draw.” She wanted to support her family but also not work to death. I think that Nakamura is rather lucky, she was lucky enough to be assigned to one of the Dr. Shum-o houses and found a suitable job that allowed her to rest a few days. Her kids also were married. I think she of the luckiest out of the three in this chapter. I also think her determination to support the family helped her survive the painful years. I think family gives people hope to survive. After “haunted by the loneliness he had felt when he thought he was dying,” Dr. Sasaki now did his best to move closer to his wife and his children. After going through the death-like experience, he encountered loneliness, which triggered him to spend more time with his family. When his wife died, he felt “another sort of loneliness connected with death.” A feeling that many people endure when they lose someone important in their life. I was confused when Dr. Sasaki “did not give up cigarettes,” wouldn’t he be afraid that he would lose his right lung?
In this chapter, the author describes the six characters' life after 40 years of the Hiroshima accident, and how the bomb had affected their lives. It seems that all the characters had gone through their hardest time. I think especially Nakamura-san. She faced tremendous poverty and difficulty for a long time. She became weak and it's hard for her to earn money for her family.
I have the same thought as Robert. I think family really gives people hope to survive, especially during the hard time.
I think it's unfair that the hibakusha are being discriminated. It's not their fault that they were the unlucky ones who were bombed. Besides, if I was their employer, I probably wouldn't mind the various symptoms they had. Unless, of course, the radiation sickness was contagious, which it is not. Then again, did they know that radiation sickness wasn't contagious back then? Because if they didnt' I think I can understand the prejudice and fear they had towards the hibakusha.
I agree with Robert. Family was probably the most important factor that made these people have hope. Without them, I doubt Ms. Nakamura would feel the need to live anymore. (ex. Mr Fukai probably lost everything he had, making him want to give up his life) I also really admire Mrs. Nakamura's courage. I don't know what I would do if I was stuck in her spot - with no money, no property, nothing. I feel happy for her success in rebuilding her life after the bombing.
Many years later, victims of the bombing still suffer greatly through their lives. Especially Mrs. Nakamura (my own opinion). Because the people are unwilling to employ people with A-bombing sickness, she had to suffer through hardships for quite some time. In addition, she was mostly on her own since her husband died during the bombing. In the end she had to work in a moth ball factory, before her son was old enough to earn money and to carry the responsibility of supporting the family. What I think is most admirable is that Mrs. Nakamura could cope with so much and still later in her life, continue to be herself. Nevertheless I think the bomb did change not just Mrs. Nakamura, but everyone else.
I find it difficult to understand how the Japanese government could not give the hibakusha any special provisions. Are they trying to hide the fact that there are people affected by the atomic bomb in an attempt to avoid irritating the Americans? Perhaps they thought that by pretending that the people affected by the bomb didn’t exist and weren’t in mortal danger, they could pretend that nothing had happened; Japan hadn’t been defeated by the Americans.
Mrs. Nakumura had led a poor, hard life for many years after the bomb. She had suffered from destitution, but eventually her life improved. Her hardwork paid off, and at the age of fifty-six, she was able to retire and have her kids take care of her. She was lucky that neither her nor her children had prohibakusha and antinuclear agitation. Dr. Sasaki was extremely lucky. Even thought he had suffered from a near death disease, he had survived. He was allowed a second chance to get close with his wife and kids. He prospered and became the 12th richest man in Hiroshima. It was Father Kleinsorge that had suffered the most out of the three. He wasn't lucky to have avoid the symptons. He had low white blood count, and was constantly sick. His wounds wouldn't heal, and yet he was able to baptist more than 400 people. He was able to be optimistic and help people even though he was in so much pain himself.
In this chapter it gradually shows the discrimination of not only their physical appearance but also their mental health too. Their feelings have been damaged a lot, by the condition they are in and also by the surroundings that they see clearly. “Shikata ga-nai ---It can't be helped.” –page 93 This sentence can clearly see the feeling that the people have in mind and how they feel, hopelessness, losing faith, and losing the hope of surviving. Here comes my question, why did John Hersey use the word “aftermath” as the name of this chapter? Does it symbolize the end? The consequence?
This half of the chapter revealed what happened to Mrs. Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki, and Father Kleinsorge. I thought it was interesting how all three of them differed so much from each other. Mrs. Nakamura had gone on to be a widow who was moderately rich and had kids who grew up and had families of their own. Mr. Sasaki accumulated a large amount of wealth and set up numerous clinics and other various facilities for society. Father Kleinsorge was a very active priest and even became a Japanese citizen. He was not very rich and he died in the end. I think the fact that they differed from each other so much was because of the effects from the bomb. Dr. Sasaki would not have been so prosperous if his brother had not died in the bombing. His brother would be the prosperous one if Dr. Sasaki followed the tradition of Japanese doctors. As for Mrs. Nakamura and Father Kleinsorge, the two hibakushas might have lived an easier life if it weren’t for the radiation sickness. The three bomb survivors either had a better or worse life because of the bomb. Yet the bombing gave all three of them a deeper understanding of life either directly or indirectly. Mr. Sasaki realized how immature he was before the bomb. Mrs. Nakamura learned that there were many other jobs besides being a seamstress. Father Kleinsorge realized that there were a lot of people who needed help in the world and helped them even if it meant endangering his own health.
this half of the chapter was the aftermath of dr. sasaki, nakamura, and kleinsorge (). i am surprised to read that nakamura would sell the sewing machine, for it is the object that will grant her survival. i think dr. sasaki is extremely lucky, for the people were interested in the "clinic" he opened at his wife's parents' home. i think his near-death is the most important event of his life, as hersey said, because if it didnt occur, he wouldnt be as wealthy and his life wouldnt be as well, for all he would work for will be wealth, not his patients' satisfaction. :D
kleinsorge received a japanese identity. is it somehow linked to the theme "losing identity" in night? :/
Out of the six characters, I thought Father Kleinsorge was my favorite character and the hero of this book. Father Kleinsorge chose to deny his own medical difficulties so he could continue to help others years after the bombing. While always helping others, he never complains nor gives up, he’s like a character that saw problems and solved them. I liked how Father Kleinsorge had the ability to bring people together and he made good analysis about each survivors. That was why he saw Miss Sasaki’s needs and encouraged her to join Catholic. In the book it also mentioned that many people stopped and thanked him for his advice and his help. Out of the six characters, Father Kleinsorge perhaps suffered the greatest medical problems in the later years of his life. I think Father Kleinsorge should have a better ending because he was the one who most help others and never complained or act selfish. --------------------------- My question: Out of the six characters, which character was your favorite? and why?
Even though it is quite unfair how hibakusha were discriminated, I understand why a boss wouldn't want to hire one. A hibakusha obviously would have disabilities such as constantly being tired, which is not something I would want in my workers.
In this chapter, we learn how each of the victims ends up. I find it interesting how Father Kleinsorge became a Japanese citizen and adapted to Japanese culture. And how Ms. Sasaki became a nun. And also that Dr. Fujii started liking American culture.
I find it interesting how Dr. Sasaki tries to separate himself from Hiroshima. As if he tries to run away from his past, but still, he is still haunted by the memories.
I think it is very interesting for Hersey to go back to find the victim he wrote about and how they were doing. Dr. Sasaki is my favorite character in the book. The funniest part in the book is when he wrote that Sasaki “thanked them, said goodbye to his wife, and died.” It must have been an fascinating experience; to think that he died but did not. IT made him appreciate what he had. It also made him a better father and person. Dr. Sasaki also contributed a lot to the sociality by donating money to build hospitals. Sasaki lived an interesting and successful life.
Fourty years after the atomic bomb, there are still many surviors who are affected by it. The surviors who have radiation sickness are discriminated as the hikabusha, and many of them are living in poverty because no one wants to hire those who are affected. Even though job opportunities are limited, but they all manage to overcome the hard times. Mrs. Nakamura is one of them, she has to work hard just to support her family. But at the end she could finally retire and live a comfortable life with her children taking care of her.
I think that it's pretty ironic that how Mrs. Nagasaaki started to work in a cheical factory when she was affected by the nulcear reaction. She need more rest not more exposure to radiation and cheimcal.
Hersey's view on the events after the bombing and on the people is quite interesting. He surely is criticizing the Japanese government for ignoring the hibakusha - "the Japanese government did not want to find itself saddled with anything like moral responsibility for the heinous acts of the victorious United States" (92). The Japanese government must be pretty proud to ignore the needs of their country's hurt people. His view toward Nakamura-san is sympathetic, as shown through a handful of quotes, one being: "Everyday, her willpower and her weariness seemed to fight an uneasy draw" (94). I definitely feel sorry for her - her life has got to be the hardest out of the other characters. But I'm glad that, in the end, she was able to enjoy respectable wages, a decent house, and the gradual fading of bomb-related memories. It's also interesting to note Hersey's detailed inputs: "for she had finally picked up Health Book No. 1023993" (98). He is emphasizing just how many injured there were. "Besides the Hiroshima hundred, there were huge crowds of women from other cities on the shrine grounds. It was impossible for her to summon up a sense of her dead husband's presence, and she returned home in an uneasy state of mind" (99). Nakamura-san thinks that the A-bomb incident is overblown, due to her personality of a silent-sufferer, and I'm not quite sure if Hersey's merely being sympathetic to her character or if the opinion is his too. Also, his voice really comes out in the last chapter. There are occasional quirks and little ironic twists, like how Nakamura-san danced on the Emperor’s birthday, feeling perfectly fine, and then suddenly fainted. Another example: “[Dr. Sasaki] thanked them, said goodbye to his wife, and died. Or, rather, he thought he died. Sometime later, he regained consciousness and found himself on the mend” (106). Also, the fact that Dr. Sasaki had his lung removed due to smoking - his wife remarked that he was maturing - but he still “did not give up cigarettes” (106). I can’t quite figure out his view on Dr. Sasaki’s prosperity. Is it mocking? Impartial? Also, of Father Kleinsorge, now Father Takakura. Is Hersey condescending toward Father Takakura’s immense desire to become Japanese, and his need to overwork himself, or is he impartial?
So far, we've read about the story's end for Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki, and Father Kleinsorge. I found these rather intriguing, few stories give such detailed endings to the characters they have.
The government handing out free health books was a bit sad, however. These people seem to adore the government before - when the Emperor was talking on the loudspeaker, they all carried their mishappen selves out just to listen to him at the railway. And now they are wary of the service the government are providing, perhaps because of the lack of help the government gave before, when the incident first occurred. Also, many companies have deferred from employing hikabusha, leaving many destitute and severely/minorly injured, and the government has done nothing to stop this. The health books may not be as healthy as the government says, I would think, if many want to be rid of us.
I’m sure Mrs. Nakamura is just one of thousands of survivers of the atomic bomb that had to start over and begin a new life. She was barely making a living. All she could do was help deliver products. She still had to take care of her three kids, and she didn’t have a husband to look after her. Yet she continued to fight on, she refused to give up. I think that is part of Japanese culture, no matter how made situation you’re in, you still have to end your life with dignity. It’s good to see that she had a happy ending. The Japanese government finally agreed on compensating the victims of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think the Japanese government shouldn’t have waited so long to compensate the victims. It should have been their next priority to rebuilding the country. During this section, we can see the transformation of the Japanese. During the war, the Japanese were extremely patriotic to their countries and would even die for it. After the war, the Hibakusha were allowed to receive health books for free medical care. This was supposed to help the victims, but instead, most of the Hibakushas were reluctant to receive the health book because they were suspicious that the government wanted to give it out just for political gains. Now the Japanese don’t even trust their own government that they were willing to die for before the war.
In the aftermath story, John Hershey mention about Nakamura-san and Father Kleinsorge. These characters have different situation to handle after a long time of the atomic bomb. I notice how each had suffer through bad health. There’s one phrase I remember that Nakamura-san had said before, “Shitaka ga nai” which means, “It can’t be helped.” I believe the reason she said that is because she thought it’s too bad things like this and you couldn’t do much with it. But in the end, I see the change in her life, she starts to make money and children also married and are pretty successful. If I was in her place, I would’ve said the same thing she did too. But now, I thought, you can do it to make something better, but it takes effort even though your body health isn’t all that great. Like a phrase, “If you do your best, you will be rewarded.” There are times when I was trouble with either friendship or family problems. I said that without thinking that we could change it for it’s not something that can’t be helped. Things will gradually return to normal if you try and cooperate with the environment and states that you are in right now. Just like how Nakamura-san starts to get use to the environment and do whatever she can to support the family.
I find it interesting to see their lives changed after the bomb had dropped, especially Mrs. Nakamura. She had to sell her husband’s sewing machine to pay the doctor’s bill. It must have been really hard for her to sell it. “He did not give up cigarettes.” I thought that was really abrupt when they said that. Because it didn’t seem right I that paragraph. Is there a meaning behind it? About Father Kleinsorge, I don’t understand why he changed his name. Anyways, I think a lot of people respected him, because on page 118, it said, “The fathers and brothers of the Nagatsuka Novitiate noticed over the years that there were almost always fresh flowers at the grave.”
And to answer Jenny’s question, my favorite character is Mr. Tanimoto because throughout this book, he continuously helped others.
In the last chapter heresy shows that most characters tried to go back to their old living style. The government and the people that are not Hibakusha discriminate the Hibakusha, i think this is mainly because they are afraid of the sickness they get it. I agree with Chuni, the Hibakusha were suspicious of the health books, i think this happened because before the government had originally discriminated Hibakusha. So they were afraid they has some alternate reasons for making the health book. I also agree with Robert, i think family is the main reason why a lot of people go through this. Family gives you strength even when your in a difficult situation.
As we saw in this chapter, it is not easy to live a life as a hibakusha. You either live in pain, live in poverty, or, in very few cases, live a normal life. In Dr. Sasaki's case, he lived a normal life, but for Father Kliensorge, he had a life of pain and torture, and as for Mrs. Nakamura, she lived a life of poverty. In this chapter, Hersey talks about the "aftermath" of the people. He organized the chapter clearly into six parts, and in each part, one of the main six characters and what happened to them was talked about. In pages 91 to 119, only 3 of the six characters are mentioned though, and they are as followed: Dr. Sasaki, Mrs. Nakamura, and Father Kliensorge. As mentioned above, Dr. Sasaki lived a normal and successful life in which he prospered greatly. As for Mrs. Nakamura, she lived a poor life in which she had to support her children and also herself. As of Father Kliensorge, he was a man of honor. In all of the time that he was alive, he helped people no matter how sick he was. Unfortunately, in then end, he died as a vegetable.
Though they passed a law to help those that were affected by the bomb, it came in 1975, almost 30 years after the incident. If I was a victim, i probably would not be extremely happy about the timing of this. Also, Dr. Sasaki experiences life and death a second time when his operation goes wrong and his wife also dies later on. Instead of making him breakdown, he focused on his work completely and worked to help those that are in need. This for me was incredible. If it was someone ordianary, perhaps a mother with 2 children probably would have broken down and not continued working. So he took this opportunity and used it towards something good, was something that we should learn from.
In this section, it shows Mrs. Nakamura's struggle to live a normal life again. She became seriously poor and had to sell her most valuable possession, her sewing machine, in or order to survive. But it is nice to see her progress as she gets a better job. Dr. Sasaki quit working in the hospital, and set up a private clinic himself. I think he does this to try to forget the horrible memories in the hospital. He wants to start a new life and doesn't want to be reminded of the bomb. I think that Father Kleinsorge is a pretty awesome man, he contributed and helped so many people who were suffering, but his own health was also at risk.
On page 111 of Hiroshima, it says, "He registered himself as a Japanese citizen under the name he would henceforth bear: Father Makoto Takakura." Why would he change his name into a Japanese name? What is the significance of changing his name?
In this chapter, Hersey writes about how the A-bomb affected the lives of different people. Unlike the way he wrote the past few chapters, Hersey breaks down the chapter into different sections that completely focuses on the life of an individual. I find this style of writing not really successful. In the chapter, many random details about a character’s life are added, instead of keeping only details relevant to the atomic bomb. I also noticed that Hersey doesn’t include any grotesque scenes like he did before in the past few chapters. In conclusion, Hersey writes this chapter in a different style as he did in the past chapters.
I was filled with joy when I was reading this chapter; I see that the characters start to either prosper, or go back to their normal life. Although one of the characters died, which was Father Wilhelm Kliensorge,he died a peaceful death. He has done many selfless things during his life and was undoubtedly the most compassionate and caring one out of the 6 characters. When the time comes for him, it is right that he should go. The other survivors have managed to climb back up again; they don't live in complete poverty. Dr. Sasaki, for example, started to prosper working as a doctor.
There's a saying that "time heals everything". However, this book proves it part of it wrong. Mrs. Sasaki would be a cripple forever; time doesn't heal the fact. Father Wilhelm Kliensorge dies, and time doesn't make him alive again.It is scary to know how the atomic bomb can affect a person.
It was a good idea that America bombed Japan. Japan finally was aware of what was happening during the disaster. If there wasn't a war, there wouldn't be a story. People who survived from the atomic bomb are highly respected for their fate. They are the only ones who experienced such great disaster, meaning that they are more experienced and knowledgable.
Being the only ones to survive is something. Out of a hundred thousand killed, merely a few survived. It's incredible that only a few people survived. In connection with Hiroshima, Titanic tells a similar story. Many died and only a few survived. Also, many people died in Auschwitz, and merely a few survived.
Also, Japan has the ability to recover from the disaster, which makes the country incredible. The people recover, making the disaster in the past. The economy of Japan started to flourish and strengthen, and lives of the Japanese improve. Despite losing the war, the Japanese are still proud of their country.
The bomb put many lives into shambles however it also brought joy to many. Dr. Kleinsorge was one of those lucky ones with a well rebuilt life. In the beginning, he felt like a fish out of water in Japan because most of the japanese rejected him and looked at him with disdain. However when the atomic bomb appeared and everyone was in a state of chaos, Dr. Kleinsorge was shown sympathy from some of the japanese and he was able to draw courage from within him to become even closer to the japanese. The bomb may have affected his health drastically and sent him to his death bed early, but it gave him what he had long desired. He had been praying for a better relationship as a foreigner and more converts and he was able to achieve that goal after the horrible bombing. Father kleinsorges story shows that not everyone was thrown into total despair after this bombing.
Why did the Japanese discriminate against the Hibakusha? What happened to their sense of community? It's interesting to see the changes in the lives of the Hibakushas, for example, Mrs. Nakamura was a wealthy woman, living a happy life, and owning expensive kimonos. Now she has to sell those nice kimonos and her very-important sewing machine, just to be able to stay barely survive. Mrs. Nakamura seems so strong and independent, despite the fact that she is discriminated, for being a hibakusha. Her will to survive and to support her children is amazing. She does all she can to earn money and food to keep her children alive, even if it means doing a very low-leveled, and low payed job, like cleaning other people's houses. She's amazing, she's the man!
The war is over, and the people and the land are struggling to recover. The radiation from the atom bomb has already affected many people in many ways. Some people’s hair fall out, others grow weak, and yet others begin to have weird growth on their bodies. The hibakusha were trying to survive in a society where the government wanted to escape reality. I think the incident of the Lucky Dragon No. 5 is very significant for the suffering hibakusha. It marked the beginning for government aid for the hibakusha. I think this chapter also shows how different people who experienced the same ordeal turned out afterwards. Nakamura struggled to survive for a great many of years, finally settling down with a job but often still suffering from weakness and tiredness. Dr. Sasaki, on the other hand, grew richer and richer as his hospital business flourished. These two people who both experienced the atom bomb had much different lives afterwards.l
I think it's unfair how the Japanese discriminated against the hibakusha, although the only difference was that the hibakusha were affected by the bomb. Although the events of the bomb had passed, the effects still lingered on the lives of the survivors. Mrs. Nakamura once lived a content life, but later had to face years of extreme difficulty. Dr. Sasaki was constantly reminded of the bomb when he attended to the victims. Father Kleinsorge suffered years of bad health and eventually died. Did all the victims of the bomb suffer like this? Did the bomb cause any positive effects for anyone?
After the disaster of the atomic bomb, people are getting their usual life back. Mrs. Nakamura is probaly the hardest woman in these 6 main characters. She doesn't have enough money but earned barely enough for food. She is also sick, it seems that the radiation illness didn't let her go, but she have to bring food for her family, her family is more important.
After the bombing at Hiroshima the charcters lives have been affected. Some are not as lucky as others but every one of them has to rebuilt from the bottom up. They are greated affected by radiation sickness and get tired easily. Even with these disabilities the people dicriminate against them and also the Japense Government does little to help them.
Liang: I agree with you that it's not fair that they are hit by the bomb, it's not fair that they are discriminated. But at the same time, if i didn't know that it wasn't contagious, then i probably wouldn't hire those who are affected.
In this chapter, all the characters were shown to be more or less affected by the atomic bomb. Some were more serious than others. But for the characters, the bomb was a life changing event. Though some people prospered, for example Dr. Sasaki, he still needed to treat patients who were affected by the bomb.
But will they want to forget about the experience or treasure the experience? I think that the ones who had trouble to cope with the aftermath of the atomic bomb, for example Mrs. Nakamura, would be the people who would want to forget about the since they would think of what caused their lives to become a mess. Though I think that people like Dr. Sasaki, who managed to live successfully after the bomb, would treasure the experience, and keep reminding himself that he was one of the lucky ones, who managed to live and prosper.
Q: "He registered himself as a Japanese citizen under the name he would hence bear : Father Makoto Takura." p.111 What is his point of changing him name? Does it help him convert more Japanese?
It is extremely depressing to see these people suffer even after many years after the bomb. Their pain did not only happen on that one day. It lasted through out their lives and eventually had a drastic effect on their lives. The injuries from the bombing was still obvious and apparent, many of which never healed.
I thought the variety of effects the bomb had on the survivors in the book was very interesting. While Father Kleinsorge and Dr. Fujii die, for example, Miss Sasaki encourages herself to keep moving forward and Dr.Sasaki pushes himself to help people harder than ever. The survivors should forever be honored for their unwillingness to give up and for the pain they endured for years.
Fernando: I agree with Fernando that Nakamura -san is the the hardest among the other sounding to me, because she has to pull up her children with sickness and financial problems.
Now that the war is over, we see the many devastating aftereffects of the atomic bomb that ended the war. We see how it has affected the hibakusha, making it hard for them to get good jobs and for them to live a normal life.
Mrs. Nakamura has had her life greatly affected by the bomb. She now has to work a lot just to earn barely enough money to scrape a living for her and her children until aid finally comes from the government. When the aid does come, however, it can be said that Mrs. Nakamura led a fairly relaxed life. She has a nice home, and now has enough money so that she doesn't have to work too much.
Dr. Sasaki after the war is probably one of the most successful. He leaves the hospital in an attempt to forget about the bombing that had destroyed Hiroshima and begins his own clinic. He starts becoming more and more successful, and expands to create spas for his patients. His credit raises so that he becomes the tenth or eleventh richest man in Hiroshima, but he has not fulfilled everything that he wants to. He could be counted as one of the people less affected by the bomb.
Father Kleinsorge could be considered the one most affected by the bomb physically. His wounds never seem to fully heal, and he suffers greatly. However, he still preaches and has great influence in Hiroshima. During the end of his life, he can do nothing but lie in bed; this is how grievous his wounds have become. He shows how the bomb physically affected people, but the people could still overcome the physical difficulties.
These three people demonstrate the many different affects of the bomb. In Mrs. Nakamura's case, it temporarily affected her, making her extremely poor until help arrived. For Dr. Sasaki, it only haunted him; it would have no permanent effect. As for Father Kleinsorge, it would eventually kill him.
In this chapter we see what three of the characters—Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki, and Kleinsorge did with the remainder of their time after the bomb. All had to work hard, either because their body could not stand it or because they were semi-ostracized due to their exposure to the bomb, as many bosses did not want to hire radiation-affected workers who tired easily. However, each tried hard, and after decades of waiting and toughing it out, these three people became successful in their lives. After toiling in poverty for so long due to lack of adequate work, Nakamura-san is finally granted monthly allowances due to her being a hibakusha, and she can finally live comfortably again. Sasaki spent lots of time after the bombing treating bomb injuries, but after his life being put on the line through various failed surgeries and illness of someone close to him, he gathers up his spirit, and builds good facilities that help people well; he becomes a sort of philanthropist. Kleinsorge spends good time converting others into and spreading Catholicism, and though he dies earlier, he is remembered and loved by those whose hearts he touched.
After reading this chapter I asked myself if I am one of the survivors which kind of life would I rather have. My answer is a life like Father kliensorge. Even though he died I think he lived his life to the fullest extent. I think his life experiance worth alot more than the others for example Dr. Sasaki who dedicaded his life to seek for pleasure and happiness. I really want to live my life the way Father Kliensorge did. For I really admire his dedication to his goal {to become a Japanese citizen} how he is always so willing to help others. These charactoristics makes me think that even though he died first his life is the most worth while.
Nakamura lead an ok life later in the end, even though it was a bit poor, she considered herself very lucky. Dr. Sasaki is amazingly rich even after the bombing; he becomes richer and richer, unlike the other 5 people who lead normal lives. Father Kleinsorge was the unlucky one of the 6 to have suffered the symptoms of radiation sickness and died. But even though he suffered, he helped many others to have a better life; he was never selfish. Even though Nakamura suffered from radiation sickness, she was able still able to work a little too somewhat supports her family. Dr. Sasaki came from a wealthy family, so he had nothing to worry about. But even though he was rich, he gave back to the community by providing places for people to enjoy and use.
53 comments:
It is disturbing to see that the Hibakusha both discriminated because of their physical appearance/disabilities and neglected of any aid from the government until much later. This shows us that the Hikabusha had to fend for themselves to the extent that they started giving up on themselves. Sadly, this is rather similar to what happened to concentration camp inmates in "Night".
The fact that the Hibakusha were at first suspicious of the health books because of their distrust of the government. It is ironic the way they distrust the government although they were extremely patriotic just years before.
I think Mrs. Nakamura's post-war life simply tells us that people can live on despite all hardships if they work hard which is demonstrated by her effort to keep her family alive.
Unlike Mrs. Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki tries to distance himself from the past and focuses on the future. Due to his minimal injuries, he manages to escape from the reality of being a "survivor". I think he is merely unwilling to face society and fate.
It is interesting to note how his treatment of keloid scars seems to do more harm than good. This shows us how he has good intentions but does the wrong things to solve the problem. This can be related to current global issues where organizations/countries have good intentions but make wrong actions. For example, human rights organizations often say that large factories in Africa are paying the workers minimum wages. Nevertheless, due to the market prices in those regions, locals would think the pay is reasonable.
Another example of having good intentions but not necessarily doing the right thing is Father Kleinsorge. He endangered his own life to help others although he was in as much a precarious situation as they were. He became overly obsessed with helping others that he lived selflessly. Nevertheless, it demonstrates his internal desire to help. In all the characters, Father Kleinsorge is undoubtedly the most caring at heart.
His change in name shows us a sense of Japanese community. It shows us that Japan was where Father Kleinsorge thought he belonged. Originally, before the bomb he felt oppressed by the Japanese locals. Ironically, after the bombing he was pulled closer to the Japanese community as a Hibakusha.
It seems that most of the people involved in them bombing are able to eventually put it behind them. They try to keep doing what they did before the bombing, even though they can still be affected by the aftereffects of the bomb.
Mrs. Nakamura tries to continue sewing, but the effects of the atom bomb mean that it is hard for her to do one job for a long time. However, she is eventually able to find a job with an owner who doesn't care that she's a hibakusha. She also cheers up and gets a health book so that she can enjoy life.
Dr. Sasaki is, for a long time, unable to help with the hospital due to his terrible memories. However, he eventually opens up a new clinic and bath house for elderly patients. He is rather healthy, the only lasting effect being that he has to have a lung removed. He also puts the memories behind him, eventually learning to live with them if they come up.
Father Kleinsorge, despite his own, rather serious injuries, is more concerned about others than about himself. Any gifts he gets he gives away to people he thinks need them more than he does. He also takes on a Japanese identity, wanting to fit in more with the people of Japan. Although he is the quickest to die, he still manages to do good.
Chuni: It's sad to see the discrimination of the hibakusha and their distrust of the government. However, their distrust probably comes from how the government hasn't provided them with anything until now. As a result, they wonder why they are suddenly being offered free health care, and are naturally suspicious.
Wow. I greatly respect Mrs. Nakamura right now. I mean, she is forced to sell her sewing machine to save her life, and the sewing machine is the thing that allows her to work in order to earn money to buy food to keep her and her children alive. It's actually kind of ironic. But then, she gets a job at a factory that produces mothballs. Also, the Japanese are supposed to have a strong sense of community. Where was that sense of community when it came to employing hibakusha? the government and those not affected either refused to help them or ignored them, pretending they weren't there, the way a bunch of narrow-minded parents do when their kid doesn't turn out as expected. the irony...
Even years after the bomb, some people with the radiation sickness can’t work in certain places, which is the reason why Nakamura can’t get a job and why she is living in poverty now. The prejudice against those who were affected by the bomb had the result of many people not being able to earn money to support their lives. Dr. Sasaki’s life turns out to be a tragedy but he still doesn’t give up—he is still helping people in the hospital forty years after the bomb, which shows more of his personality. As for Father Kleinsorge, he becomes a Japanese citizen and changes his name. His sickness from the radiation made him die early, but his life after the bomb was okay—he had a close friendship with his cook and nurse. These three characters’ lives years after the bomb were described by John Hersey one by one—in different sections of the chapter. The bomb has changed their lives forever. No matter if it is physical-wise, friendship-wise, physiological-wise, or personality-wise.
Even years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, many survivors still are affected by it. For example, many employers don't like to hire people with the radiation sickness in the years after the war, and as a result, Nakamura faces a lot of poverty and difficulty for a long time. Only until a law passed in 1975, did Mrs. Nakamura finally be able to live comfortably.
Dr. Sasaki quits working at the Red Cross Hospital in 1951 because of the awful experiences there. We can see from this how horrifying it is to see victims of the atomic bomb pour into the hospital day and night, and later on, a hospital full of corpses that nobody could take away.
It is certainly interesting to see the changes in the survivors after such a horrific event. Forty years after the bombing, everything seems normal. All of Mrs. Nakamura's children grew up and were successful, and everyone seems pretty much well off.
However, those are appearances only. From what we have seen, Nakamura, along with the others, all still suffer the effects of radiation sickness, and their strings of fate have definitely been cut short, and it is more than likely that they will all die from some sort of cancer.
Even though Mrs. Nakumara had been discriminated as the Hibakusha, however her desire to survive and protect her family is very commendable. She had been forced to give up her sewing machine and her favorite kimonos to buy food for her family. In contrast with night, I think that Mrs. Nakumara is not dehumanized mentally like the prisoners are in the concentration camps. She didn’t abandon her children in order to survive, however she kept working out of poverty even though she has severe radiation diseases that forced her to rest for a few days. As a Hibakusha, the job opportunities are limited because the nonhibakusha employers had forbidden the Hibakusha to work in their companies. Also, her husband and relatives had died in the bombing in Hiroshima, which separates her into a desolate situation in which she has to fight for herself and her family. Despite all these impediments Mrs. Nakumara had faced in the following days, she still managed to cope with this situation and avoided the destitution.
As hikabusha, each of the survivors manages to live and find strength from different things such as overcoming hardships, helping others, and believing in their religion. Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura faces poverty and destitution because many employers are reluctant to hire people with A-bomb sickness. She ends up working for thirteen years at a factory, retiring when her son can support the family. Her children marry and move away, and she finally begins to live comfortably on month allowances passed by the government to victims of the atomic bomb. She learns to care for herself, enjoying things such as dancing and embroidery, and avoids any political displays related to the bombing.
Haunted by his awful memories of August 6, 1945, Dr. Terefumi Sasaki spends his time dealing with keloids at the Red Cross Hospital. He married well, and set up a private clinic in Makaihara, putting Hiroshima behind. A series of tragedies followed the rest of his life. He became diagnosed with lung cancer because of his smoking habits, and had to remove his left lung. He nearly dies in the operation. Then, his wife dies of breast cancer. The experiences drive him to devote his life to using his success to build bigger and better medical facilities and helping people.
Father Kleinsorge becomes a Japanese citizen and takes the name Father Makoto Takakura. He never gives up trying to help and convert people in Hiroshima, and eventually overworks himself. After the bomb, he never gets over his radiation sickness, and his health deteriorates while he helps others. He dies one year after a fall and a fractured back leaving him bedridden, and the author notes that there were always flowers on his grave.
In this chapter, we acknowledge the lives of the characters years after the bombing. Nakamura became poor and weak and it was hard for her to earn money when her body is not well fit. Every day, “her willpower and her weariness seemed to fight to an uneasy draw.” She wanted to support her family but also not work to death. I think that Nakamura is rather lucky, she was lucky enough to be assigned to one of the Dr. Shum-o houses and found a suitable job that allowed her to rest a few days. Her kids also were married. I think she of the luckiest out of the three in this chapter. I also think her determination to support the family helped her survive the painful years.
I think family gives people hope to survive. After “haunted by the loneliness he had felt when he thought he was dying,” Dr. Sasaki now did his best to move closer to his wife and his children. After going through the death-like experience, he encountered loneliness, which triggered him to spend more time with his family. When his wife died, he felt “another sort of loneliness connected with death.” A feeling that many people endure when they lose someone important in their life.
I was confused when Dr. Sasaki “did not give up cigarettes,” wouldn’t he be afraid that he would lose his right lung?
In this chapter, the author describes the six characters' life after 40 years of the Hiroshima accident, and how the bomb had affected their lives. It seems that all the characters had gone through their hardest time. I think especially Nakamura-san. She faced tremendous poverty and difficulty for a long time. She became weak and it's hard for her to earn money for her family.
I have the same thought as Robert.
I think family really gives people hope to survive, especially during the hard time.
I think it's unfair that the hibakusha are being discriminated. It's not their fault that they were the unlucky ones who were bombed. Besides, if I was their employer, I probably wouldn't mind the various symptoms they had. Unless, of course, the radiation sickness was contagious, which it is not. Then again, did they know that radiation sickness wasn't contagious back then? Because if they didnt' I think I can understand the prejudice and fear they had towards the hibakusha.
I agree with Robert. Family was probably the most important factor that made these people have hope. Without them, I doubt Ms. Nakamura would feel the need to live anymore. (ex. Mr Fukai probably lost everything he had, making him want to give up his life) I also really admire Mrs. Nakamura's courage. I don't know what I would do if I was stuck in her spot - with no money, no property, nothing. I feel happy for her success in rebuilding her life after the bombing.
Many years later, victims of the bombing still suffer greatly through their lives. Especially Mrs. Nakamura (my own opinion). Because the people are unwilling to employ people with A-bombing sickness, she had to suffer through hardships for quite some time. In addition, she was mostly on her own since her husband died during the bombing. In the end she had to work in a moth ball factory, before her son was old enough to earn money and to carry the responsibility of supporting the family. What I think is most admirable is that Mrs. Nakamura could cope with so much and still later in her life, continue to be herself. Nevertheless I think the bomb did change not just Mrs. Nakamura, but everyone else.
I find it difficult to understand how the Japanese government could not give the hibakusha any special provisions. Are they trying to hide the fact that there are people affected by the atomic bomb in an attempt to avoid irritating the Americans? Perhaps they thought that by pretending that the people affected by the bomb didn’t exist and weren’t in mortal danger, they could pretend that nothing had happened; Japan hadn’t been defeated by the Americans.
Mrs. Nakumura had led a poor, hard life for many years after the bomb. She had suffered from destitution, but eventually her life improved. Her hardwork paid off, and at the age of fifty-six, she was able to retire and have her kids take care of her. She was lucky that neither her nor her children had prohibakusha and antinuclear agitation.
Dr. Sasaki was extremely lucky. Even thought he had suffered from a near death disease, he had survived. He was allowed a second chance to get close with his wife and kids. He prospered and became the 12th richest man in Hiroshima.
It was Father Kleinsorge that had suffered the most out of the three. He wasn't lucky to have avoid the symptons. He had low white blood count, and was constantly sick. His wounds wouldn't heal, and yet he was able to baptist more than 400 people. He was able to be optimistic and help people even though he was in so much pain himself.
In this chapter it gradually shows the discrimination of not only their physical appearance but also their mental health too. Their feelings have been damaged a lot, by the condition they are in and also by the surroundings that they see clearly.
“Shikata ga-nai ---It can't be helped.” –page 93
This sentence can clearly see the feeling that the people have in mind and how they feel, hopelessness, losing faith, and losing the hope of surviving.
Here comes my question, why did John Hersey use the word “aftermath” as the name of this chapter? Does it symbolize the end? The consequence?
This half of the chapter revealed what happened to Mrs. Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki, and Father Kleinsorge. I thought it was interesting how all three of them differed so much from each other. Mrs. Nakamura had gone on to be a widow who was moderately rich and had kids who grew up and had families of their own. Mr. Sasaki accumulated a large amount of wealth and set up numerous clinics and other various facilities for society. Father Kleinsorge was a very active priest and even became a Japanese citizen. He was not very rich and he died in the end. I think the fact that they differed from each other so much was because of the effects from the bomb. Dr. Sasaki would not have been so prosperous if his brother had not died in the bombing. His brother would be the prosperous one if Dr. Sasaki followed the tradition of Japanese doctors. As for Mrs. Nakamura and Father Kleinsorge, the two hibakushas might have lived an easier life if it weren’t for the radiation sickness. The three bomb survivors either had a better or worse life because of the bomb. Yet the bombing gave all three of them a deeper understanding of life either directly or indirectly. Mr. Sasaki realized how immature he was before the bomb. Mrs. Nakamura learned that there were many other jobs besides being a seamstress. Father Kleinsorge realized that there were a lot of people who needed help in the world and helped them even if it meant endangering his own health.
this half of the chapter was the aftermath of dr. sasaki, nakamura, and kleinsorge (). i am surprised to read that nakamura would sell the sewing machine, for it is the object that will grant her survival. i think dr. sasaki is extremely lucky, for the people were interested in the "clinic" he opened at his wife's parents' home. i think his near-death is the most important event of his life, as hersey said, because if it didnt occur, he wouldnt be as wealthy and his life wouldnt be as well, for all he would work for will be wealth, not his patients' satisfaction. :D
kleinsorge received a japanese identity. is it somehow linked to the theme "losing identity" in night? :/
Out of the six characters, I thought Father Kleinsorge was my favorite character and the hero of this book. Father Kleinsorge chose to deny his own medical difficulties so he could continue to help others years after the bombing. While always helping others, he never complains nor gives up, he’s like a character that saw problems and solved them. I liked how Father Kleinsorge had the ability to bring people together and he made good analysis about each survivors. That was why he saw Miss Sasaki’s needs and encouraged her to join Catholic. In the book it also mentioned that many people stopped and thanked him for his advice and his help. Out of the six characters, Father Kleinsorge perhaps suffered the greatest medical problems in the later years of his life.
I think Father Kleinsorge should have a better ending because he was the one who most help others and never complained or act selfish.
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My question: Out of the six characters, which character was your favorite? and why?
Even though it is quite unfair how hibakusha were discriminated, I understand why a boss wouldn't want to hire one. A hibakusha obviously would have disabilities such as constantly being tired, which is not something I would want in my workers.
In this chapter, we learn how each of the victims ends up. I find it interesting how Father Kleinsorge became a Japanese citizen and adapted to Japanese culture. And how Ms. Sasaki became a nun. And also that Dr. Fujii started liking American culture.
I find it interesting how Dr. Sasaki tries to separate himself from Hiroshima. As if he tries to run away from his past, but still, he is still haunted by the memories.
I think it is very interesting for Hersey to go back to find the victim he wrote about and how they were doing. Dr. Sasaki is my favorite character in the book. The funniest part in the book is when he wrote that Sasaki “thanked them, said goodbye to his wife, and died.” It must have been an fascinating experience; to think that he died but did not. IT made him appreciate what he had. It also made him a better father and person. Dr. Sasaki also contributed a lot to the sociality by donating money to build hospitals. Sasaki lived an interesting and successful life.
Fourty years after the atomic bomb, there are still many surviors who are affected by it. The surviors who have radiation sickness are discriminated as the hikabusha, and many of them are living in poverty because no one wants to hire those who are affected. Even though job opportunities are limited, but they all manage to overcome the hard times. Mrs. Nakamura is one of them, she has to work hard just to support her family. But at the end she could finally retire and live a comfortable life with her children taking care of her.
I think that it's pretty ironic that how Mrs. Nagasaaki started to work in a cheical factory when she was affected by the nulcear reaction. She need more rest not more exposure to radiation and cheimcal.
Hersey's view on the events after the bombing and on the people is quite interesting. He surely is criticizing the Japanese government for ignoring the hibakusha - "the Japanese government did not want to find itself saddled with anything like moral responsibility for the heinous acts of the victorious United States" (92). The Japanese government must be pretty proud to ignore the needs of their country's hurt people.
His view toward Nakamura-san is sympathetic, as shown through a handful of quotes, one being: "Everyday, her willpower and her weariness seemed to fight an uneasy draw" (94). I definitely feel sorry for her - her life has got to be the hardest out of the other characters. But I'm glad that, in the end, she was able to enjoy respectable wages, a decent house, and the gradual fading of bomb-related memories.
It's also interesting to note Hersey's detailed inputs: "for she had finally picked up Health Book No. 1023993" (98). He is emphasizing just how many injured there were.
"Besides the Hiroshima hundred, there were huge crowds of women from other cities on the shrine grounds. It was impossible for her to summon up a sense of her dead husband's presence, and she returned home in an uneasy state of mind" (99). Nakamura-san thinks that the A-bomb incident is overblown, due to her personality of a silent-sufferer, and I'm not quite sure if Hersey's merely being sympathetic to her character or if the opinion is his too.
Also, his voice really comes out in the last chapter. There are occasional quirks and little ironic twists, like how Nakamura-san danced on the Emperor’s birthday, feeling perfectly fine, and then suddenly fainted. Another example: “[Dr. Sasaki] thanked them, said goodbye to his wife, and died. Or, rather, he thought he died. Sometime later, he regained consciousness and found himself on the mend” (106). Also, the fact that Dr. Sasaki had his lung removed due to smoking - his wife remarked that he was maturing - but he still “did not give up cigarettes” (106).
I can’t quite figure out his view on Dr. Sasaki’s prosperity. Is it mocking? Impartial? Also, of Father Kleinsorge, now Father Takakura. Is Hersey condescending toward Father Takakura’s immense desire to become Japanese, and his need to overwork himself, or is he impartial?
So far, we've read about the story's end for Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki, and Father Kleinsorge. I found these rather intriguing, few stories give such detailed endings to the characters they have.
The government handing out free health books was a bit sad, however. These people seem to adore the government before - when the Emperor was talking on the loudspeaker, they all carried their mishappen selves out just to listen to him at the railway.
And now they are wary of the service the government are providing, perhaps because of the lack of help the government gave before, when the incident first occurred. Also, many companies have deferred from employing hikabusha, leaving many destitute and severely/minorly injured, and the government has done nothing to stop this. The health books may not be as healthy as the government says, I would think, if many want to be rid of us.
I’m sure Mrs. Nakamura is just one of thousands of survivers of the atomic bomb that had to start over and begin a new life. She was barely making a living. All she could do was help deliver products. She still had to take care of her three kids, and she didn’t have a husband to look after her. Yet she continued to fight on, she refused to give up. I think that is part of Japanese culture, no matter how made situation you’re in, you still have to end your life with dignity. It’s good to see that she had a happy ending. The Japanese government finally agreed on compensating the victims of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think the Japanese government shouldn’t have waited so long to compensate the victims. It should have been their next priority to rebuilding the country. During this section, we can see the transformation of the Japanese. During the war, the Japanese were extremely patriotic to their countries and would even die for it. After the war, the Hibakusha were allowed to receive health books for free medical care. This was supposed to help the victims, but instead, most of the Hibakushas were reluctant to receive the health book because they were suspicious that the government wanted to give it out just for political gains. Now the Japanese don’t even trust their own government that they were willing to die for before the war.
In the aftermath story, John Hershey mention about Nakamura-san and Father Kleinsorge. These characters have different situation to handle after a long time of the atomic bomb. I notice how each had suffer through bad health. There’s one phrase I remember that Nakamura-san had said before, “Shitaka ga nai” which means, “It can’t be helped.” I believe the reason she said that is because she thought it’s too bad things like this and you couldn’t do much with it. But in the end, I see the change in her life, she starts to make money and children also married and are pretty successful. If I was in her place, I would’ve said the same thing she did too. But now, I thought, you can do it to make something better, but it takes effort even though your body health isn’t all that great. Like a phrase, “If you do your best, you will be rewarded.” There are times when I was trouble with either friendship or family problems. I said that without thinking that we could change it for it’s not something that can’t be helped. Things will gradually return to normal if you try and cooperate with the environment and states that you are in right now. Just like how Nakamura-san starts to get use to the environment and do whatever she can to support the family.
I find it interesting to see their lives changed after the bomb had dropped, especially Mrs. Nakamura. She had to sell her husband’s sewing machine to pay the doctor’s bill. It must have been really hard for her to sell it. “He did not give up cigarettes.” I thought that was really abrupt when they said that. Because it didn’t seem right I that paragraph. Is there a meaning behind it? About Father Kleinsorge, I don’t understand why he changed his name. Anyways, I think a lot of people respected him, because on page 118, it said, “The fathers and brothers of the Nagatsuka Novitiate noticed over the years that there were almost always fresh flowers at the grave.”
And to answer Jenny’s question, my favorite character is Mr. Tanimoto because throughout this book, he continuously helped others.
In the last chapter heresy shows that most characters tried to go back to their old living style. The government and the people that are not Hibakusha discriminate the Hibakusha, i think this is mainly because they are afraid of the sickness they get it.
I agree with Chuni, the Hibakusha were suspicious of the health books, i think this happened because before the government had originally discriminated Hibakusha. So they were afraid they has some alternate reasons for making the health book.
I also agree with Robert, i think family is the main reason why a lot of people go through this. Family gives you strength even when your in a difficult situation.
As we saw in this chapter, it is not easy to live a life as a hibakusha. You either live in pain, live in poverty, or, in very few cases, live a normal life. In Dr. Sasaki's case, he lived a normal life, but for Father Kliensorge, he had a life of pain and torture, and as for Mrs. Nakamura, she lived a life of poverty.
In this chapter, Hersey talks about the "aftermath" of the people. He organized the chapter clearly into six parts, and in each part, one of the main six characters and what happened to them was talked about. In pages 91 to 119, only 3 of the six characters are mentioned though, and they are as followed: Dr. Sasaki, Mrs. Nakamura, and Father Kliensorge. As mentioned above, Dr. Sasaki lived a normal and successful life in which he prospered greatly. As for Mrs. Nakamura, she lived a poor life in which she had to support her children and also herself. As of Father Kliensorge, he was a man of honor. In all of the time that he was alive, he helped people no matter how sick he was. Unfortunately, in then end, he died as a vegetable.
Though they passed a law to help those that were affected by the bomb, it came in 1975, almost 30 years after the incident. If I was a victim, i probably would not be extremely happy about the timing of this. Also, Dr. Sasaki experiences life and death a second time when his operation goes wrong and his wife also dies later on. Instead of making him breakdown, he focused on his work completely and worked to help those that are in need. This for me was incredible. If it was someone ordianary, perhaps a mother with 2 children probably would have broken down and not continued working. So he took this opportunity and used it towards something good, was something that we should learn from.
In this section, it shows Mrs. Nakamura's struggle to live a normal life again. She became seriously poor and had to sell her most valuable possession, her sewing machine, in or order to survive. But it is nice to see her progress as she gets a better job. Dr. Sasaki quit working in the hospital, and set up a private clinic himself. I think he does this to try to forget the horrible memories in the hospital. He wants to start a new life and doesn't want to be reminded of the bomb. I think that Father Kleinsorge is a pretty awesome man, he contributed and helped so many people who were suffering, but his own health was also at risk.
On page 111 of Hiroshima, it says, "He registered himself as a Japanese citizen under the name he would henceforth bear: Father Makoto Takakura." Why would he change his name into a Japanese name? What is the significance of changing his name?
In this chapter, Hersey writes about how the A-bomb affected the lives of different people. Unlike the way he wrote the past few chapters, Hersey breaks down the chapter into different sections that completely focuses on the life of an individual. I find this style of writing not really successful. In the chapter, many random details about a character’s life are added, instead of keeping only details relevant to the atomic bomb. I also noticed that Hersey doesn’t include any grotesque scenes like he did before in the past few chapters. In conclusion, Hersey writes this chapter in a different style as he did in the past chapters.
I was filled with joy when I was reading this chapter; I see that the characters start to either prosper, or go back to their normal life. Although one of the characters died, which was Father Wilhelm Kliensorge,he died a peaceful death. He has done many selfless things during his life and was undoubtedly the most compassionate and caring one out of the 6 characters. When the time comes for him, it is right that he should go. The other survivors have managed to climb back up again; they don't live in complete poverty. Dr. Sasaki, for example, started to prosper working as a doctor.
There's a saying that "time heals everything". However, this book proves it part of it wrong. Mrs. Sasaki would be a cripple forever; time doesn't heal the fact. Father Wilhelm Kliensorge dies, and time doesn't make him alive again.It is scary to know how the atomic bomb can affect a person.
It was a good idea that America bombed Japan. Japan finally was aware of what was happening during the disaster. If there wasn't a war, there wouldn't be a story. People who survived from the atomic bomb are highly respected for their fate. They are the only ones who experienced such great disaster, meaning that they are more experienced and knowledgable.
Being the only ones to survive is something. Out of a hundred thousand killed, merely a few survived. It's incredible that only a few people survived. In connection with Hiroshima, Titanic tells a similar story. Many died and only a few survived. Also, many people died in Auschwitz, and merely a few survived.
Also, Japan has the ability to recover from the disaster, which makes the country incredible. The people recover, making the disaster in the past. The economy of Japan started to flourish and strengthen, and lives of the Japanese improve. Despite losing the war, the Japanese are still proud of their country.
The bomb put many lives into shambles however it also brought joy to many. Dr. Kleinsorge was one of those lucky ones with a well rebuilt life. In the beginning, he felt like a fish out of water in Japan because most of the japanese rejected him and looked at him with disdain. However when the atomic bomb appeared and everyone was in a state of chaos, Dr. Kleinsorge was shown sympathy from some of the japanese and he was able to draw courage from within him to become even closer to the japanese. The bomb may have affected his health drastically and sent him to his death bed early, but it gave him what he had long desired. He had been praying for a better relationship as a foreigner and more converts and he was able to achieve that goal after the horrible bombing. Father kleinsorges story shows that not everyone was thrown into total despair after this bombing.
Why did the Japanese discriminate against the Hibakusha? What happened to their sense of community?
It's interesting to see the changes in the lives of the Hibakushas, for example, Mrs. Nakamura was a wealthy woman, living a happy life, and owning expensive kimonos. Now she has to sell those nice kimonos and her very-important sewing machine, just to be able to stay barely survive.
Mrs. Nakamura seems so strong and independent, despite the fact that she is discriminated, for being a hibakusha. Her will to survive and to support her children is amazing. She does all she can to earn money and food to keep her children alive, even if it means doing a very low-leveled, and low payed job, like cleaning other people's houses. She's amazing, she's the man!
The war is over, and the people and the land are struggling to recover. The radiation from the atom bomb has already affected many people in many ways. Some people’s hair fall out, others grow weak, and yet others begin to have weird growth on their bodies. The hibakusha were trying to survive in a society where the government wanted to escape reality.
I think the incident of the Lucky Dragon No. 5 is very significant for the suffering hibakusha. It marked the beginning for government aid for the hibakusha.
I think this chapter also shows how different people who experienced the same ordeal turned out afterwards. Nakamura struggled to survive for a great many of years, finally settling down with a job but often still suffering from weakness and tiredness. Dr. Sasaki, on the other hand, grew richer and richer as his hospital business flourished. These two people who both experienced the atom bomb had much different lives afterwards.l
I think it's unfair how the Japanese discriminated against the hibakusha, although the only difference was that the hibakusha were affected by the bomb. Although the events of the bomb had passed, the effects still lingered on the lives of the survivors. Mrs. Nakamura once lived a content life, but later had to face years of extreme difficulty. Dr. Sasaki was constantly reminded of the bomb when he attended to the victims. Father Kleinsorge suffered years of bad health and eventually died.
Did all the victims of the bomb suffer like this? Did the bomb cause any positive effects for anyone?
After the disaster of the atomic bomb, people are getting their usual life back. Mrs. Nakamura is probaly the hardest woman in these 6 main characters. She doesn't have enough money but earned barely enough for food. She is also sick, it seems that the radiation illness didn't let her go, but she have to bring food for her family, her family is more important.
After the bombing at Hiroshima the charcters lives have been affected. Some are not as lucky as others but every one of them has to rebuilt from the bottom up. They are greated affected by radiation sickness and get tired easily. Even with these disabilities the people dicriminate against them and also the Japense Government does little to help them.
kimi: Here comes my question, why did John Hersey use the word “aftermath” as the name of this chapter? Does it symbolize the end? The consequence?
course it does kimi! Hersey narrates about what happens to those suvivors of the bombing many years later.
Liang: I agree with you that it's not fair that they are hit by the bomb, it's not fair that they are discriminated. But at the same time, if i didn't know that it wasn't contagious, then i probably wouldn't hire those who are affected.
In this chapter, all the characters were shown to be more or less affected by the atomic bomb. Some were more serious than others. But for the characters, the bomb was a life changing event. Though some people prospered, for example Dr. Sasaki, he still needed to treat patients who were affected by the bomb.
But will they want to forget about the experience or treasure the experience?
I think that the ones who had trouble to cope with the aftermath of the atomic bomb, for example Mrs. Nakamura, would be the people who would want to forget about the since they would think of what caused their lives to become a mess. Though I think that people like Dr. Sasaki, who managed to live successfully after the bomb, would treasure the experience, and keep reminding himself that he was one of the lucky ones, who managed to live and prosper.
Q: "He registered himself as a Japanese citizen under the name he would hence bear : Father Makoto Takura." p.111 What is his point of changing him name? Does it help him convert more Japanese?
It is extremely depressing to see these people suffer even after many years after the bomb. Their pain did not only happen on that one day. It lasted through out their lives and eventually had a drastic effect on their lives. The injuries from the bombing was still obvious and apparent, many of which never healed.
I thought the variety of effects the bomb had on the survivors in the book was very interesting. While Father Kleinsorge and Dr. Fujii die, for example, Miss Sasaki encourages herself to keep moving forward and Dr.Sasaki pushes himself to help people harder than ever. The survivors should forever be honored for their unwillingness to give up and for the pain they endured for years.
Fernando: I agree with Fernando that Nakamura -san is the the hardest among the other sounding to me, because she has to pull up her children with sickness and financial problems.
Now that the war is over, we see the many devastating aftereffects of the atomic bomb that ended the war. We see how it has affected the hibakusha, making it hard for them to get good jobs and for them to live a normal life.
Mrs. Nakamura has had her life greatly affected by the bomb. She now has to work a lot just to earn barely enough money to scrape a living for her and her children until aid finally comes from the government. When the aid does come, however, it can be said that Mrs. Nakamura led a fairly relaxed life. She has a nice home, and now has enough money so that she doesn't have to work too much.
Dr. Sasaki after the war is probably one of the most successful. He leaves the hospital in an attempt to forget about the bombing that had destroyed Hiroshima and begins his own clinic. He starts becoming more and more successful, and expands to create spas for his patients. His credit raises so that he becomes the tenth or eleventh richest man in Hiroshima, but he has not fulfilled everything that he wants to. He could be counted as one of the people less affected by the bomb.
Father Kleinsorge could be considered the one most affected by the bomb physically. His wounds never seem to fully heal, and he suffers greatly. However, he still preaches and has great influence in Hiroshima. During the end of his life, he can do nothing but lie in bed; this is how grievous his wounds have become. He shows how the bomb physically affected people, but the people could still overcome the physical difficulties.
These three people demonstrate the many different affects of the bomb. In Mrs. Nakamura's case, it temporarily affected her, making her extremely poor until help arrived. For Dr. Sasaki, it only haunted him; it would have no permanent effect. As for Father Kleinsorge, it would eventually kill him.
In this chapter we see what three of the characters—Nakamura, Dr. Sasaki, and Kleinsorge did with the remainder of their time after the bomb. All had to work hard, either because their body could not stand it or because they were semi-ostracized due to their exposure to the bomb, as many bosses did not want to hire radiation-affected workers who tired easily. However, each tried hard, and after decades of waiting and toughing it out, these three people became successful in their lives. After toiling in poverty for so long due to lack of adequate work, Nakamura-san is finally granted monthly allowances due to her being a hibakusha, and she can finally live comfortably again. Sasaki spent lots of time after the bombing treating bomb injuries, but after his life being put on the line through various failed surgeries and illness of someone close to him, he gathers up his spirit, and builds good facilities that help people well; he becomes a sort of philanthropist. Kleinsorge spends good time converting others into and spreading Catholicism, and though he dies earlier, he is remembered and loved by those whose hearts he touched.
After reading this chapter I asked myself if I am one of the survivors which kind of life would I rather have. My answer is a life like Father kliensorge. Even though he died I think he lived his life to the fullest extent. I think his life experiance worth alot more than the others for example Dr. Sasaki who dedicaded his life to seek for pleasure and happiness. I really want to live my life the way Father Kliensorge did. For I really admire his dedication to his goal {to become a Japanese citizen} how he is always so willing to help others. These charactoristics makes me think that even though he died first his life is the most worth while.
Nakamura lead an ok life later in the end, even though it was a bit poor, she considered herself very lucky. Dr. Sasaki is amazingly rich even after the bombing; he becomes richer and richer, unlike the other 5 people who lead normal lives. Father Kleinsorge was the unlucky one of the 6 to have suffered the symptoms of radiation sickness and died. But even though he suffered, he helped many others to have a better life; he was never selfish. Even though Nakamura suffered from radiation sickness, she was able still able to work a little too somewhat supports her family. Dr. Sasaki came from a wealthy family, so he had nothing to worry about. But even though he was rich, he gave back to the community by providing places for people to enjoy and use.
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