The fact that some young, 20 year old-ish soldiers - who aren't even ready for fatherhood - are forced by guilt to marry the mothers of their babies. Most of the women are prostitutes. It doesn't seem like a very happy marriage to me. They might feel guilty forever, or, at least, a very long time.
I noticed that Toshiko Sasaki's responsibility for her younger siblings is very great. While the younger ones live for themselves, Sasaki-san has to dedicate a lot of her time and energy to caring and earning money for them. I know that this is very common in Asian countries - across the world too; older siblings sacrificing for the younger ones. So it's not only a cultural thing. Just something the book got me thinking about.
Also, the ending. "[Kiyoshi Tanimoto] lived in a snug little house with a radio and two television sets, a washing machine, an electric oven, and a refrigerator, and he had a compact Mazda automobile, manufactured in Hiroshima. He ate too much. He got up at six every morning and took an hour's walk with his small woolly dog, Chiko. He was slowing down a bit. His memory, like the world's, was getting spotty" (152). It seems to me, with Hersey's diction, that he's trying to portray that Tanimoto has become Americanized and too much obsessed with consumerism and worldly possessions. What do you think is the signifigance of the ending? Why does Hersey choose to end with Tanimoto, and this very passage? Is this another one of his ironic turns?
I believe that Miss Toshiko Sasaki was very strong work wise, like there was a part when she looked over the construction of the garden of St.Joseph. Also she could help inmates die in peace.
It is interesting how unlike Dr. Sasaki who tries to avoid his past, Ms. Sasaki actually faces her past and moves forward. She said, "I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when i survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward." What is interesting to see is that the atomic bomb actually gave her a new and perhaps better future. It changed her life and her course. Her life took a better direction and course after the bombing.
Unlike Ms. Sasaki, Dr. Fuiji's life becomes rather ironic. The best off in the beginning ends up having the worst ending. After his death,, his family quarrels over his property and his wife sued a son. This shows how Dr. Fuiji's life is ends up with the most tragic ending despite his successful carrier.
Mr Tanimoto's life was also quite ironic. Perhaps not as tragic as Dr. Fuiji's but still rather pathetic. He tries extremely hard but is misunderstood as a publicity seeker. He is constantly trying to prove his loyalty to Japan, which ends in further suspicion. It is ironic how this reflects what happens when good intentions are carried out with miscalculated methods and an exaggerated need to please in modern society. Despite all his efforts and work, he ends up like any other Japanese, unknown and forgotten.
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My questions:
1. On p. 146 Lewis (copilot of the Enola Gay) says he asked himself "my god, what have we done?" Do you think Lewis and the American government really regret what they did? why?
2. Do you think it was right that Father Kleinsorge tricked Ms. Saskai into a convent where they spoke foreign languages? Why do you think he did that?
Chapter Five is written different from previous chapters in that it tells each story of the characters completely, with no crosscutting from character to character. Whereas each previous chapter took place in a relatively short period of time, the last chapter covers the characters' lives in the last forty years.
The effects of the bomb continue to touch the lives of many Japanese in significant ways. For example, Mr. Tanimoto's daughter Koko, is unable to marry a guy she likes because his father doesn't allow him to marry atomic bomb victims. By including these stories like Koko's, Hersey reminds us how the bomb's effects last for generations.
Chuni: 1. On p. 146 Lewis (copilot of the Enola Gay) says he asked himself "my god, what have we done?" Do you think Lewis and the American government really regret what they did? why?
In that paragraph about Lewis the pilot, Hersey basically gave the impression that Lewis was not being a completely good person. Hersey describes Lewis’s faulty character (where he resorts to drinking because he wouldn’t receive money), and purposely added in words like “forty million watchers across the land must have thought he was crying.” I think that the part “must have,” and the information given in the parentheses gives off a definite vibe of disapproval from Hersey.
What’s more, I think that in that paragraph, Hersey not only showed disapproval of Lewis, but also said things in a way that favors the Japanese. Think about it, if Hersey had been biased towards the Americans, he wouldn’t have written that paragraph. However, with those lines within the parentheses, he turned the paragraph into one that leans towards the Japanese.
I think that it is rather creepy that when Sister Sasaki said that “nothing now surprised or frightened her.” She had experienced many painful situations that when she sees others die she wouldn’t get frightened. I think this really shows how the bomb had influenced people’s lives. I’m also impressed at Sister Sasaki’s bravery; even though she is now forever a cripple and has no chance of getting married, she still remains optimistic. She “prefers not to look back and shall keep moving forward.” I thought Dr. Fujii’s life was rather ironic. In the beginning, he was rather prosperous, but in the end he died. What I found more scary was when “his family quarreled over his property, and a mother sued a son,” I think this shows the desperate situation the people are in. They are all hungry for money that they will do anything they can.
The story comes to the end of the boook. The main difference between chapter 5 and the other ones is that in chapter 5, the author describes each character completely, and also is written after the bomb accident.
After reading this book called "Hiroshima", I think I understood how one single accident can affect our entire whole life.
I realized that I made a mistake, I thought yesterdays post was for the entire chapter five.
As I had said before, I found it interesting that Dr. Sasaki seemed to be running from his past. And yet, he can't avoid it because theres always a hibakishu that comes to the hospital, which brings back his memories. I also found the fact about the soldiers marrying prostitutes to be quite disturbing, but this problem still happens in the world. I also found it interesting that Kleinsorge became more Japanese while Dr. Fujii became more like a foreigner. Overall, i liked hiroshima, but i thought that Night and LOTF were better books
Miss Sasaki, even though she would be crippled for the rest of her life, was optimistic and faithful to her religion. She didn't become cynical, and pitied herself, instead she worked at an orphanage. It had seemed to be her calling, because she was really good at it. Later when she became a nun, she was able to achieve a position as Mother Superior.
Even though Dr. Fujii didn't become as prosperous as Dr. Sasaki had, he still led a rich life with more luxury than the other hibakusha. He had enough money to continue his hedonistic life. But toward the last 11 years of his life, he fell into a vegetable state.
I find it interesting how Dr. Sasaki tries so hard to forget about the atomic bomb, but found it impossible. He is still trapped by memories of those he couldn’t save and the deaths he couldn’t honor. How Hersey describes the life after the bomb of Miss Sasaki made me notice another point of view of the bomb. Her choices after surviving the Atomic bomb demonstrate that the disaster strengthens her instead of making her weaker. This shows how the atomic bomb may affect different people in different ways. For example the daughter of Mr. Tanimoto got abandoned by her fiancé just because his father thought she could not have normal children. This prejudice—also found in the story of Mrs. Nakamura’s attempts to find work—seemed to be part of the struggle and negatives for the lives of Hibakusha. My opinion about the after life of the atomic bomb is that it brought more negatives than positives to the 6 survivors. This event will forever remain in the 6 survivors’ memory no matter what life they live after the atomic bomb, it is not possible to forget or erase this horrible memory. --------------------------- My question: Why did Hersey put Mr.Tanimoto in the last part?
Now we know what has happened to all of the main characters.
Toshiko Sasaki shows great caretaking skills in watching over her siblings. She works to earn money for them and does whatever is necessary to give them the basic necessities.
Dr. Fuji's story is quite ironic. He becomes quite successful after the bomb, and lives about as good a life as he could wish for after the effects of the bomb. The irony comes after the end, when his family quarrels over his property and they even begin to sue each other.
Mr. Tanimoto also leads an average life. Hersey talks about what he had in his house and what his house was like. The book says, "He lived in a snug little house with a radio and two television sets..." and it goes on to enumerate what he has in his house. I think this shows how Tanimoto was obsessed with the Americans, and how he tried to model his lifestyle to be like that of the Americans. This is a bit ironic because it was the Americans who bombed Hiroshima in the first place and made so many people start their lives again from scratch.
Like said before, Chapter 5, The Aftermath, talks only about what happened to each of the six main characters after the bombing. To me, I think each character lived a good, or at least decent life. They all enjoyed it, especially Dr. Sasaki and Father Wilhelm Kliensorge (even though he suffered greatly). Like said in class before, I think only Mrs. Sasaki didn't have a good life. Even though she became a nun and enjoyed it deeply, she still could not enjoy her life; basically because she was poor.
Miss Sasaki lives optimistically even though the bomb has made her a cripple for life. She learns to "hobble without crutches", and tries to enjoy life and take good care of her siblings. She also tries to help others. When she is in the White Chrysanthemum, she helps those who are dying to die in peace. The book says, "She had seen so much death...that nothing now surprised or frightened her." this shows the amazing effect of the bomb mentally on its victims. Her optimistic spirit is reflected when she says at the end, "I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if i have been given a spare life..."
CHUNI: No I don’t think American government really regrets what they did, because they didn’t actually put effort into restoring Hiroshima. Many of the people in Hiroshima lived a painful life, and the American government never really helped the people.
It is hard to say whether it is right or not to trick Ms. Sasaki into the convent. People could say it is right to do this, because it could help Ms. Sasaki deal with pain in her life. In the earlier chapters, when Ms. Sasaki was extremely depressed, Father Kleinsorge managed to help her find a new view on life with religious teachings. Father Kleisorge probably thought that the society would make her life better, so he tricked her into the convent. On the other hand, people can say that Kleinsorge did this for his mission.
It's sad to see how Dr. Fujii apparently wasn't able to truly get over what happened. Even though he started enjoying himself and generally loving life, he eventually became depressed and attempted suicide. He also became a vegetable and ended up being dissected for science. What made his personality turn like that?
Chuni: Since the book mentions that Lewis had been drinking, I doubt it. He probably just wanted to look good in front of the public audience. Also, if he felt any true regrets, he probably wouldn't have agreed to the mission.
Most characters had a satisfactory life after the bombing, even though some were not as well. I thought this last chapter was rather quite boring since there was nothing happening anymore; it was more of describing the conditions the characters lived in.
In comparison to the other novels we've read, I liked Night the best, followed by Hiroshima. :D
I don’t think Father Kleinsorge deliberately tricked Miss Sasaki. Father Kleinsorge was kind and tried to help Miss Sasaki. He didn’t know that they have to speak a new language to join. Miss Sasaki seems to be the youngest and least effected by the bomb mentally. I think she lived quite a good life and longest out of these.
I like how the author adds news articles sort of in there like what happening around the world relating to bombs. I think Hiroshima is an important part of history. It is an interesting story.
pages 118-152 bascially describes the rest of the characters-Ms. Toshiko Sasaki, Dr. Fuji, and Mr. Tanimoto. The character I like the best out of this book is Ms. Toshiko Sasaki, because she was as compassionate as Father Kleinsorge; instead of thinking on how to improve her own life, she works at an orphanage to improve other people's lives. Father Kleisorge and Miss Sasaki both share the personality of being selfless, but what makes Miss Sasaki more outstanding his her optimism. She says" I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when i survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward." This is the attitude I like best; I dislike people who pity themselves a lot and think themselves as the poorest.
Mr. Tanimoto's outcome was very different from what I had expected. He lived in a snug little house with a radio and two television sets, a washing machine, an electric oven, and a refrigerator, and he had a compact Mazda automobile, manufactured in Hiroshima.Although Tanimoto may be a very considerate and kind person, this also shows his weakness; craving for his desires. It's ironic how the Americans wiped out Japanese civilization, but Tanimoto adapts their ways. This display's Tanimoto as a person of disloyalty to his own culture.
Chuni: From the tone Hersey describes this moment, it sounds condescending and sarcastic. However, I do find that the Americans who actually know the whole story and can in some way empathise with the survivors of the dropped bomb, probably regret the bomb, but consider it a necessary action to take against Japan in order to motion them to surrender and stop their destruction in World War II.
Miss Sasaki's story is very moving, I think, that she should sacrifice so much for her siblings, that she should care for them so so much. :] Good example of an older sister, hehe. The book also stresses the way the bomb had changed her whole life course - she was to be married to this fiance who was at China at the time of the bomb, to live a perfectly full life as a wife and caretaker of perhaps children, and maybe still work as a secretary clerk. Now her wedding plans have been cut, she becomes a nun and devotes time taking care of her injured brother while being a cripple herself. But she doesnt' seem to hate or criticise or blame anyone for anything, refusing to live. Supposedly the Catholic faith saved her.
I was a little confused by the way Hersey wrote "she found that Father Takakura had lied to her." Kleinsorge has been portrayed as a character that always thinks ahead for others and such. Did Kleinsorge not know about the foreign languages, or just wanted to give Miss Sasaki a push into the right direction she wants to lead, although she is afraid of? (That probably didn't really make sense.)
In previous chapters, Mrs. Sasaki is dependent on other people, like Father Kleinsorg, comforting and giving her faith. But after she heals, it seems like instead she is the one comforting people. I think after Father Fleinsorg's visits, she becomes more positive, optimistic, and turns her life around. She says to "keep moving forward" and not to look back in the past. Dr. Fujii seemed to enjoy his life a lot, and takes pleasure in everything he does, all until he is found conscious and becomes a vegetable. That is pretty tragic, because he didn't suffer from any affects of the radiation, but died because of leaking gas in his bedroom.
Upon the conclusion of the book, I have come upon some rather interesting conclusions. First of all, Dr. Fuji's and Tantimoto's life afterwards are truly tragic. Even Sasaki and Nakamura fared better. A possible reason for this is was Hersey's deliberation in depiction. Seperating the two men from the two women, we see that Nakamura and Sasaki's biography were centered more around their personal lives, and involved interaction with many other souls, which resulted in touching moments and true success. On the other hand, the men were depicted as materialistic, and although Tantimoto was trying to raise funds for his church and was fighting for a good cause, he was mislabeled as a publicity seeker. Nothing comes more to blow than a misinterpretation for the negative. Hence, it is equally tragic to see someone's world fall apart after one's death. Dr. Fuji's life deteriorated as he aged--due to the neglect he paid to his family. The true irony was that while Sasaki remained poor, she was happy, and while Fuji was short of nothing, we can see who was better off in the end.
Also, I come upon the inevitable conclusion that John Hersey is severely biased. It was extremely apparent in this book to me, for he definitely favored the Japanese side and depicted the Americans as snobbish and pompous persons.
He portrays the Japanese as hapless innocents that were part of a great experiment only the US would have been willing to do. However, I find that quite far from the truth. While Hiroshima was the first time such a weapon was used, the initial reason was not to conduct mass research on human beings. Rather, it was seen as a clean and quick alternative to ending the war. Basically, the US had two choices by the year of 1945. Either they try one of these new bombs and scare the Japanese to surrender, or launch a second D-Day assault on the Japanese home islands. They estimated that only a crew of five would be needed to pilot the plane. An invasion would, however, cost much more. Americans already knew that the Japanese, in their state of nationalistic fevor, would defend their ground to the death. Little children were trained to crawl under tanks treads and detonate the bombs stuck in their pockets, and Japanese girls were taught to stab with sharpened bamboo sticks. In this type of environment, every inch of ground would be costly, and it was calculated that over a million men would be lost in such an assault.
John Hersey certainly did not take this dillemma into account. Furthermore, the aftermath of the "Original Plan" was not discussed either. Most likely, the end of the Invasion would have spelt the total annihilation of Japan. The ensuing aftermath would have been equivalent to the Holocaust in terms of casualites. Comparing the ratios, a total of 180,000 persons were affected by the atomic bombings, and while radiation sickness hides itself, we can expect no more than 300,000. That still is a far cry from the genocide of Japan and the massacre of a million US troops.
Furthermore, Hersey's portrayal of Lewis was extremely controversial. The pilot had undergone personal trauma over the event as well, and the drinking was probably due to that. As written in his diary, "My God, what have we done" it was clear that he showed remorse over what he had did.
All in all, I must declare, while John Hersey's account is biased and does not provide a clear spectrum (as it is tilted), it still provides a rare narrative account on what happened that day on August 6, 1945, and the consequences that followed, told from the ground view up.
Of this section, I find most amusing how Dr. Mazakazu Fujii lived his life on after the bombing. I would would have expected most to be devastated by the bomb and live a poor life from then on, well, aside from Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, that is. Fujii-san seemed to be living a carefree life full of happiness and luxury, well, in his terms. I cannot stop thinking about how little he cared about the incident and how he just went on with life; with possibly and even better one to think! He was a "playboy", he built a really new house, and he's living himself off happy. I find it such a pity that such a man who didn't suffer from any side-effects of the bomb had to die because of his pleasure-seeking lifestyle.
to Diane: Yeah, i think their marriages are going to be unhappy, if the don't divorce. I dont even know if Japanese culture and society in the mid-1900s condoned divorce. If not, they are stuck together by law. Maybe they'll live separate lives, apart from each other. If so, I pity the children. They will never get to know a true family. I think that thing that parents used to say about arranged marriages, something like, "Love will grow between the two of you eventually." is kind of, well, nonsense. It can, but it often wont, and if it does, it comes too late.
My stuff The way Hersey ended it with Mr. Tanimoto and the way that his memory gets kind of spotty, i think it was talking about how the Japanese were beginning to kind of forget, if not really forgive. He's become Americanized, and most young people of the new generations know of the bomb through history books and their elders. They may be born with birth defects, but they dont really remember the bomb, not the explosions, the heat, the pain, the suffering. Sympathies for those with birth defects.
Miss Sasaki’s life is pretty peaceful. She becomes a nun and takes the name Sister Dominique Sasaki. She is an honored person in 1980 and makes a nice speech about life and how you have to keep moving forward. Compared to the other characters, she is pretty lucky. I don’t think Dr. Fujii lived a very good life after the bomb. He may have traveled to New York and everything, but he lived his life by the idea that pleasure is the best cure for pain. He didn’t really learn anything from the bomb, unlike Miss Sasaki. Mr. Tanimoto promises to work for peace for the rest of his life. He traveled to the states to give speeches. He even appears in a TV show. His peace center is not just a peace center; it turned into an adoption agency. Finally, he lived off the retirement fund and lives happily ever after with his wife. Mr. Tanimoto and Miss Sasaki’s lives can be said to be the better lives after the bomb. They helped people, gave speeches, and were honored by the public.
I agree with Chuni. I thought Mr Tanimoto's and Dr. Fujii's life were rather pathetic and probably the most unlucky out of the 6 survivors (apart from Father Kleinsorge's suffering). Mr Tanimoto's plan backfired and got himself labeled as a person who wants attention, and Mr Fujii's wife and their kids couldn't settle the sharing of his enormous fortune. Personally, I think the mom must be pretty selfish to sue his son for money. Unless, there's more to it that the book doesn't reveal. Ms. Sasaki's life, like Ms. Nakamura's were both hard. Ms. Sasaki had trouble finding a job because of her crippled leg, but like most of the characters, she recieved help and advice from Father Kleinsorge. In the end, she lived a rather poor, but caring life.
In general, I thought Night was a better book than Hiroshima, but that may only be because we know more about the background of the time period during the Holocaust. I learned a lot from "The Pianist" and Mrs. Wyant's presentation, which gave me a much better understanding of Night. Perhaps we should do something like that for Hiroshima too :D
Though Mr. Tanimoto vows to to work for peace, he ends up as a "publicity seeker." I do not understand why he does this. Is it because he really wants to become a celebrity? Or it was an accident, and he had no intention whatsoever of becoming the center of attraction. Also, the way Ms. Sasaki "keeps moving forward" is, for me, amazing, almost miraculous. Someone who has suffered those types of experiences and that type of life, and also losing her leg, can still use all this as an motivation, is amazing.
Tanimoto-san survived almost ten years after the average life span of the hibakushas, which is an unbelievable thing. What make his life last longer than the others.
Shannon: Of course the new generation would not be very serious about the past that their elders and Americans have, because it was their conflict, not theirs. So speaking in same way, Tanimoto-san don't want to talk about the past that is irreversible.
CHUNI: 1. On p. 146 Lewis (copilot of the Enola Gay) says he asked himself "my god, what have we done?" Do you think Lewis and the American government really regret what they did? why?
I think Hersey was trying to make the pilot look bad. He said earlier that he had been a drinker and he wasn't actually crying when he said everything. Hersey also said that the pilot only came on the show for the money. So of course he was going to say what the audience wanted him to say. I think the pilot said that sarcastically. He was just saying what the people expected him to say. I don't think that the producers were going to let him say anything negative on live television.
Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto leads a very famous life after the atom bomb. He traveled to America and stayed there, becoming famous in his efforts to petition against President Truman and to help the Hiroshima Maidens. What do you think is the significance of the author putting information about nuclear weapons development around the world during the aftermath of Tanimoto? I think Hersey wants to show us how America's actions will change the course of history, jumping from guns immediately to a weapon capable of wiping an island off the face of earth. Taiwan is an example of an island able to be irradiated. Dr. Fuiji, because of his hedonistic way of life, becomes a vegetable and lives the last 11 years of life as an invalid. Although it is a sad fate for one who is so successful, i have nothing to say to him but, "Serves you right."
In the life of Toshiko Sasaki, Father Kleinsorge always supports the hope in her life. As we talked about Father Kleinsorge in class, he was always people’s hope in that condition. And also he was the one who connected the other character together. Also in this chapter, Sasaki had an extremely different life than other people. “His memory, like the world’s, was getting spotty. “ –page 152, I think John Hersey have leave the readers a feeling of loneliness but also peaceful. Why did Hersey wrote and put this sentence in the back for this novel? To leave the readers a thought to think? Or what?
I think Miss Sasaki's life was greatly influenced by the bomb. She had temporarily lost use of her leg, and lost also her fiance because of her injury. Judging from what has happened to her, one would think that she would remain depressed and cynical for the rest of her life. However, she did not complain about the events and eventually decided to move on, even taking on a religion. I admire her optimism, because not everyone could shield away from a past as horrible as hers.
Toshiko Sasaki is having a hard time taking care of her siblings. She‘s also unable to marry off to her fiancé just because she’s a hibakusha. But this hasn’t change the fact giving up supporting the kids. I’m really surprise how she could go off to do many other jobs, and seeming tireless. It’s amazing at the end she said, “I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when I survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward.” She’s very tough, and if I was in that situation. I believe it would be hard to stand up with such situation. I can see how much she changes, and has converted into Catholic after so many visits of Father Kleinsorge. One special point about Sasaki-san was, she’s able to realize happiness, and move on no matter how tire she gets. Though she may be hurt but it didn’t matter for she found her purpose of living and how lucky she is to survive the A-bomb. From the way Hershey describes Sasaki, it seems he’s telling us that one can change one another from a religion or your doings to proof something that can be done. Also, out of all the characters, she’s the unhurt one and was all good until the end. As for Dr. Fuji, he’s the worse out of all. Instead of getting better then died, he gets worse and worse then died from miseries. I believe out of all characters, Dr. Fuji has the life that’s most suffering. Instead of just pass away, he still have to suffer for an amount of time until passing away. This is a big difference Hershey had showed us about Dr. Fuji. His disease had spread longer than any other characters. Did he give up? I think it’s his bad health that makse him like this. He didn’t commit suicide as far as his family members said. It is a disappointment for me when I read how horrible way his life ended. His ending is the most misery than the rest. Hershey make Dr. Fuji stand out to be the one.
On the last page, the last sentence "His[Tanimoto] memory, like the world's, was getting spotty" Since the bombing of Hiroshima it has already been over ten years since the incident happened. People have started to forgot about it. During the ten years people have started to not reject the Hibakusha, they don't shy away from them anymore so they forgot gradually forgot about the bombing. Also the people who here not Hibakusha didn't experience the bomb first hand, they wouldn't know the pain, the suffering the Hibakusha went through. So the horribly incident wouldn't always stay in their minds. But for the Hibakusha the experience will always stay in your mind. Unless of course you had a sickness.
Mrs. Sasaki is probably the person who had a successful life after the bombing. Although Dr. Fuji and Mr. Tanimoto both lived successfully, they both had a sad ending to their story. One ended up dead and their family quarreling about his property, and the other one thought as an attention seeker.
It is worth noting that Mrs. Sasaki and Dr. Fuji, who would have lived quite successfully had he not died, were the people who cared about the future and presence, were actually the ones to live quite successfully. Whereas Mr. Tanimoto, who was still concerned about the past, had a much more difficult life.
My question is whether caring about the past affected the other people in the story? Would it have affected other people?
Reply to Chuni's Question: I think it's a good decision for Father Kleinsorge to trick Sasaki-san into convert where they speak foreign language. Because it give more views for Sasaki-san, to let her learn. Father Kleinsorge did that was to help her. In the end, she said "I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when I survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward." This gives her more hope for forward. And maybe i think Father Kleinsorge trick her is to let her understand. But I'm not possitive what though.
I agree with Angela. Miss Sasaki was greatly influenced by the bomb. As a result of being crippled and being labeled hibakusha, she lost her fiance. Of course, she also suffered the pain of being unable to walk properly. Despite the critical effect of these "road blocks" in her life, she coped with the difficulties very well. Instead of sulking in a dark corner, mourning for her life before the bomb dropped, she decides to make something of her life and works at an orphanage. Along with her disabilities, Miss Sasaki must also support her younger siblings. I consider her a hero for her ability to endure problems and turn her attention towards those in need.
After reading about Toshiko Sasaki’s life after the bombing, I felt that she had a tough life ahead of her. She struggles to care for her younger siblings without anyone’s help and at the same time, when the government gave little job opportunities to those with radiation sickness. Although, she was quite fortunate to get a job at a orphange where she enjoyed helping others. It was very heartbreaking that her fiance never came back to see her since he knew that she was a cripple. But without complaint, she learned to "hobble without crutches” and tried to“keep moving forward”. She had promised herself to not think about the past.
Miss Sasaki never fully recovers from her damaged leg. Father Kleinsorge eventually convinces her to become a sister at a convent. As Sister Dominique Sasaki, she has a distinguished career and travels around the world. In her speech at a dinner in Tokyo, she vows to “keep moving forward” with the “spare life” that had been given to her when she survived the atomic bomb. I found that particularly moving, especially after all the disappointments and hardships she went through. Eager to make friends with the Americans, Dr. Fuji learns English and makes friends with Americans. He becomes to love pleasure, and continues his life with drinking, partying, and playing golf. He travels to New York with the Hiroshima Maidens, and is found unconscious in his room during a New Years party. He is pretty much a vegetable until his death. I thought it was extremely sad how he seemed to have the least fulfilling life in the end, and how his family quarreled over his property. He would have been happier if he learned to communicate with his family more, and make better decisions rather than follow the path of a hedonist. Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto works for peace the rest of his life. He travels to America to give speeches and raises money for a peace center in Japan. His plan completely backfires on him, and in the end, his peace center is a little more than a home-run adoption agency. He retires from the pulpit, and lives off his pension with his wife. I am rather surprised at this ending, because he seemed to be one of the more prominent people during the bombing, helping to save many people. In the end he was just like any other normal person, and his efforts to help failed in a way. What happened to his daughter, Koko, really saddened me though.
I think a few ironic things concerning the bomb are revealed in this part of the chapter. “Her greatest gift, she found, was her ability to help inmates to die in peace. She had seen so much death in Hiroshima after the bombing and had seen what strange things so many people did when they were cornered by death, that nothing now surprised or frightened her.” (Hersey 124) The Atomic bomb turned Ms. Sasaki into a person with a disability. Yet it also gave her an advantage in her new profession as a nun. The bomb was both a curse and blessing to her. Another ironic thing in this chapter was how Reverend Tanimoto raised funds in America to build churches in Hiroshima. It was interesting how he found people that would donate money from the country that bombed them in the first place.
What i think about Hiroshima, this book, masterpiece, the memories from Hersey's. It mainly records every main characters but not much on the settings. These characters have done their best to keep survive after the bomb. They didn't gave up their hopes, but passing the rest of their life. Like Father Takakura, he was a responsible man in Hiroshima, he care about HIS people, then he died with his mission accomplished serving his people until he was gone.
These records tells about Hiroshima and the main characters, tells me that we musn't given up our hope but treasure our life, that our first day had given us. Every people was born for something, nobody are perfect indeed, because the life is fair to everybody.
I think Miss Sasaki’s life after the bomb was half good half bad. The good part was that she got closer to her family (especially her two siblings), she learned foreign languages, and that she believed in her religion and in God (that made her see that even though she is crippled and her wounds would never heal completely she couldn’t do anything about it, she just got on with life). She learned how to just forget it and go on, like the way she helps the dying people to forget what they did wrong and just let them die in peace. The bad part in her life after the bomb, was that she couldn’t be entirely healed, and she lost her fiance because of that. I really think she is a very good person, she learns how to cope with her problems, and take care and help others at the orphanage.
The government neglected the victims from the atomic bomb. To me this was extremely sad because they already suffered a terrible loss and they are still being treated like outcasts instead of with sympathy.
Well, I finished the book. At first when i read it, i thought i would just be some ordinary description about the a-bomb. However, after i finished the book, i realized the gravity of the aftermath of the bomb. People werent just physically hurt, they were also mentally hurt, dehumanized. People became so numbed by the bomb and its aftermath that some ignored their family relatives, some victims became discriminated and labeled as an outcast. This was very sad because i dont think that anyone else than the people that got affected by the bomb could possibly imagine what life would be like. Some people's life changed for the better, some for the worse. Like Ms. Sasaki being crippled. Ordinary people would lose hope just by becoming a cripple. But surprisingly, she became more optimistic. I learned that sometimes disasters strangely bring strangers together and somehow creates some kind of bond that links them together and start helping each other out. Reading the novel helps us understand the importance of humanity.
It was unfortunate that Dr. Fuji was the other victim of the six to die. Ms. Sasaki was not completely healed from her past injuries but she never lost hope that she was going to get better. Dr. Fuji had a somewhat successful lie in healthcare, providing different services. Ironically, all his children follow in their father’s footsteps: healthcare. Tanimoto had been busy in trying to keep the world from suffering from bomb attacks. He also tried to build memorials for the bombings of Hiroshima and allowed a few Japanese girls to have plastic surgery to hide their war scars. He walked around the US collecting money to build churches and fund some of his project. He generally never gave up the fact that they could build the memorandum for the bombing of Hiroshima even though he had been turned down many times. Tanimoto kept working to finish his projects.
The hibakusha of the six people that seemed to have the saddest ending in the end was Dr. Fujii. Though he was the only one who had not been affected by radiation sickness and seemed to be the best one off physically, he went on living for pleasure and living a hedonistic life instead of working hard like the others who had been worse off after the bomb. Thus, in the end, his body had been wrecked by what he had done to it instead of what the bomb did, and he lost most of what he had when he spent the last 11 years of his life in a vegetable state. Since this is a historical novel, I don't think that Hersey is trying to show that hedonistic people end up in worse states; but that through what he wrote we can see that those who work hard can pick themselves up and put together a good life for themselves, even if they start out from worse situations than others. Conversely, if one starts out better but does everything for pleasure instead of trying to make his life better, he will end up short of what he could be.
After reading Toshiko Sasaki's part, I think she really cares about her siblings. I also thought that it was sad, that her fiancee didn't come back for her, because he somehow knew that she was affected by the bombing. Out of these three, I think she was the saddest person, because she worked really hard.
48 comments:
The fact that some young, 20 year old-ish soldiers - who aren't even ready for fatherhood - are forced by guilt to marry the mothers of their babies. Most of the women are prostitutes. It doesn't seem like a very happy marriage to me. They might feel guilty forever, or, at least, a very long time.
I noticed that Toshiko Sasaki's responsibility for her younger siblings is very great. While the younger ones live for themselves, Sasaki-san has to dedicate a lot of her time and energy to caring and earning money for them. I know that this is very common in Asian countries - across the world too; older siblings sacrificing for the younger ones. So it's not only a cultural thing. Just something the book got me thinking about.
Also, the ending. "[Kiyoshi Tanimoto] lived in a snug little house with a radio and two television sets, a washing machine, an electric oven, and a refrigerator, and he had a compact Mazda automobile, manufactured in Hiroshima. He ate too much. He got up at six every morning and took an hour's walk with his small woolly dog, Chiko. He was slowing down a bit. His memory, like the world's, was getting spotty" (152).
It seems to me, with Hersey's diction, that he's trying to portray that Tanimoto has become Americanized and too much obsessed with consumerism and worldly possessions. What do you think is the signifigance of the ending? Why does Hersey choose to end with Tanimoto, and this very passage? Is this another one of his ironic turns?
I believe that Miss Toshiko Sasaki was very strong work wise, like there was a part when she looked over the construction of the garden of St.Joseph. Also she could help inmates die in peace.
It is interesting how unlike Dr. Sasaki who tries to avoid his past, Ms. Sasaki actually faces her past and moves forward. She said, "I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when i survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward." What is interesting to see is that the atomic bomb actually gave her a new and perhaps better future. It changed her life and her course. Her life took a better direction and course after the bombing.
Unlike Ms. Sasaki, Dr. Fuiji's life becomes rather ironic. The best off in the beginning ends up having the worst ending. After his death,, his family quarrels over his property and his wife sued a son. This shows how Dr. Fuiji's life is ends up with the most tragic ending despite his successful carrier.
Mr Tanimoto's life was also quite ironic. Perhaps not as tragic as Dr. Fuiji's but still rather pathetic. He tries extremely hard but is misunderstood as a publicity seeker. He is constantly trying to prove his loyalty to Japan, which ends in further suspicion. It is ironic how this reflects what happens when good intentions are carried out with miscalculated methods and an exaggerated need to please in modern society. Despite all his efforts and work, he ends up like any other Japanese, unknown and forgotten.
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My questions:
1. On p. 146 Lewis (copilot of the Enola Gay) says he asked himself "my god, what have we done?" Do you think Lewis and the American government really regret what they did? why?
2. Do you think it was right that Father Kleinsorge tricked Ms. Saskai into a convent where they spoke foreign languages? Why do you think he did that?
Chapter Five is written different from previous chapters in that it tells each story of the characters completely, with no crosscutting from character to character. Whereas each previous chapter took place in a relatively short period of time, the last chapter covers the characters' lives in the last forty years.
The effects of the bomb continue to touch the lives of many Japanese in significant ways. For example, Mr. Tanimoto's daughter Koko, is unable to marry a guy she likes because his father doesn't allow him to marry atomic bomb victims. By including these stories like Koko's, Hersey reminds us how the bomb's effects last for generations.
Chuni: 1. On p. 146 Lewis (copilot of the Enola Gay) says he asked himself "my god, what have we done?" Do you think Lewis and the American government really regret what they did? why?
In that paragraph about Lewis the pilot, Hersey basically gave the impression that Lewis was not being a completely good person. Hersey describes Lewis’s faulty character (where he resorts to drinking because he wouldn’t receive money), and purposely added in words like “forty million watchers across the land must have thought he was crying.” I think that the part “must have,” and the information given in the parentheses gives off a definite vibe of disapproval from Hersey.
What’s more, I think that in that paragraph, Hersey not only showed disapproval of Lewis, but also said things in a way that favors the Japanese. Think about it, if Hersey had been biased towards the Americans, he wouldn’t have written that paragraph. However, with those lines within the parentheses, he turned the paragraph into one that leans towards the Japanese.
I think that it is rather creepy that when Sister Sasaki said that “nothing now surprised or frightened her.” She had experienced many painful situations that when she sees others die she wouldn’t get frightened. I think this really shows how the bomb had influenced people’s lives. I’m also impressed at Sister Sasaki’s bravery; even though she is now forever a cripple and has no chance of getting married, she still remains optimistic. She “prefers not to look back and shall keep moving forward.”
I thought Dr. Fujii’s life was rather ironic. In the beginning, he was rather prosperous, but in the end he died. What I found more scary was when “his family quarreled over his property, and a mother sued a son,” I think this shows the desperate situation the people are in. They are all hungry for money that they will do anything they can.
The story comes to the end of the boook. The main difference between chapter 5 and the other ones is that in chapter 5, the author describes each character completely, and also is written after the bomb accident.
After reading this book called "Hiroshima", I think I understood how one single accident can affect our entire whole life.
I realized that I made a mistake, I thought yesterdays post was for the entire chapter five.
As I had said before, I found it interesting that Dr. Sasaki seemed to be running from his past. And yet, he can't avoid it because theres always a hibakishu that comes to the hospital, which brings back his memories. I also found the fact about the soldiers marrying prostitutes to be quite disturbing, but this problem still happens in the world. I also found it interesting that Kleinsorge became more Japanese while Dr. Fujii became more like a foreigner.
Overall, i liked hiroshima, but i thought that Night and LOTF were better books
Miss Sasaki, even though she would be crippled for the rest of her life, was optimistic and faithful to her religion. She didn't become cynical, and pitied herself, instead she worked at an orphanage. It had seemed to be her calling, because she was really good at it. Later when she became a nun, she was able to achieve a position as Mother Superior.
Even though Dr. Fujii didn't become as prosperous as Dr. Sasaki had, he still led a rich life with more luxury than the other hibakusha. He had enough money to continue his hedonistic life. But toward the last 11 years of his life, he fell into a vegetable state.
I find it interesting how Dr. Sasaki tries so hard to forget about the atomic bomb, but found it impossible. He is still trapped by memories of those he couldn’t save and the deaths he couldn’t honor. How Hersey describes the life after the bomb of Miss Sasaki made me notice another point of view of the bomb. Her choices after surviving the Atomic bomb demonstrate that the disaster strengthens her instead of making her weaker. This shows how the atomic bomb may affect different people in different ways. For example the daughter of Mr. Tanimoto got abandoned by her fiancé just because his father thought she could not have normal children. This prejudice—also found in the story of Mrs. Nakamura’s attempts to find work—seemed to be part of the struggle and negatives for the lives of Hibakusha. My opinion about the after life of the atomic bomb is that it brought more negatives than positives to the 6 survivors. This event will forever remain in the 6 survivors’ memory no matter what life they live after the atomic bomb, it is not possible to forget or erase this horrible memory.
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My question: Why did Hersey put Mr.Tanimoto in the last part?
Now we know what has happened to all of the main characters.
Toshiko Sasaki shows great caretaking skills in watching over her siblings. She works to earn money for them and does whatever is necessary to give them the basic necessities.
Dr. Fuji's story is quite ironic. He becomes quite successful after the bomb, and lives about as good a life as he could wish for after the effects of the bomb. The irony comes after the end, when his family quarrels over his property and they even begin to sue each other.
Mr. Tanimoto also leads an average life. Hersey talks about what he had in his house and what his house was like. The book says, "He lived in a snug little house with a radio and two television sets..." and it goes on to enumerate what he has in his house. I think this shows how Tanimoto was obsessed with the Americans, and how he tried to model his lifestyle to be like that of the Americans. This is a bit ironic because it was the Americans who bombed Hiroshima in the first place and made so many people start their lives again from scratch.
Like said before, Chapter 5, The Aftermath, talks only about what happened to each of the six main characters after the bombing.
To me, I think each character lived a good, or at least decent life. They all enjoyed it, especially Dr. Sasaki and Father Wilhelm Kliensorge (even though he suffered greatly). Like said in class before, I think only Mrs. Sasaki didn't have a good life. Even though she became a nun and enjoyed it deeply, she still could not enjoy her life; basically because she was poor.
Miss Sasaki lives optimistically even though the bomb has made her a cripple for life. She learns to "hobble without crutches", and tries to enjoy life and take good care of her siblings. She also tries to help others. When she is in the White Chrysanthemum, she helps those who are dying to die in peace. The book says, "She had seen so much death...that nothing now surprised or frightened her." this shows the amazing effect of the bomb mentally on its victims. Her optimistic spirit is reflected when she says at the end, "I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if i have been given a spare life..."
CHUNI:
No I don’t think American government really regrets what they did, because they didn’t actually put effort into restoring Hiroshima. Many of the people in Hiroshima lived a painful life, and the American government never really helped the people.
It is hard to say whether it is right or not to trick Ms. Sasaki into the convent. People could say it is right to do this, because it could help Ms. Sasaki deal with pain in her life. In the earlier chapters, when Ms. Sasaki was extremely depressed, Father Kleinsorge managed to help her find a new view on life with religious teachings. Father Kleisorge probably thought that the society would make her life better, so he tricked her into the convent. On the other hand, people can say that Kleinsorge did this for his mission.
It's sad to see how Dr. Fujii apparently wasn't able to truly get over what happened. Even though he started enjoying himself and generally loving life, he eventually became depressed and attempted suicide. He also became a vegetable and ended up being dissected for science. What made his personality turn like that?
Chuni: Since the book mentions that Lewis had been drinking, I doubt it. He probably just wanted to look good in front of the public audience. Also, if he felt any true regrets, he probably wouldn't have agreed to the mission.
Most characters had a satisfactory life after the bombing, even though some were not as well. I thought this last chapter was rather quite boring since there was nothing happening anymore; it was more of describing the conditions the characters lived in.
In comparison to the other novels we've read, I liked Night the best, followed by Hiroshima. :D
I don’t think Father Kleinsorge deliberately tricked Miss Sasaki. Father Kleinsorge was kind and tried to help Miss Sasaki. He didn’t know that they have to speak a new language to join. Miss Sasaki seems to be the youngest and least effected by the bomb mentally. I think she lived quite a good life and longest out of these.
I like how the author adds news articles sort of in there like what happening around the world relating to bombs. I think Hiroshima is an important part of history. It is an interesting story.
pages 118-152 bascially describes the rest of the characters-Ms. Toshiko Sasaki, Dr. Fuji, and Mr. Tanimoto. The character I like the best out of this book is Ms. Toshiko Sasaki, because she was as compassionate as Father Kleinsorge; instead of thinking on how to improve her own life, she works at an orphanage to improve other people's lives. Father Kleisorge and Miss Sasaki both share the personality of being selfless, but what makes Miss Sasaki more outstanding his her optimism. She says" I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when i survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward." This is the attitude I like best; I dislike people who pity themselves a lot and think themselves as the poorest.
Mr. Tanimoto's outcome was very different from what I had expected. He lived in a snug little house with a radio and two television sets, a washing machine, an electric oven, and a refrigerator, and he had a compact Mazda automobile, manufactured in Hiroshima.Although Tanimoto may be a very considerate and kind person, this also shows his weakness; craving for his desires. It's ironic how the Americans wiped out Japanese civilization, but Tanimoto adapts their ways. This display's Tanimoto as a person of disloyalty to his own culture.
Chuni: From the tone Hersey describes this moment, it sounds condescending and sarcastic. However, I do find that the Americans who actually know the whole story and can in some way empathise with the survivors of the dropped bomb, probably regret the bomb, but consider it a necessary action to take against Japan in order to motion them to surrender and stop their destruction in World War II.
Miss Sasaki's story is very moving, I think, that she should sacrifice so much for her siblings, that she should care for them so so much. :] Good example of an older sister, hehe. The book also stresses the way the bomb had changed her whole life course - she was to be married to this fiance who was at China at the time of the bomb, to live a perfectly full life as a wife and caretaker of perhaps children, and maybe still work as a secretary clerk. Now her wedding plans have been cut, she becomes a nun and devotes time taking care of her injured brother while being a cripple herself. But she doesnt' seem to hate or criticise or blame anyone for anything, refusing to live. Supposedly the Catholic faith saved her.
I was a little confused by the way Hersey wrote "she found that Father Takakura had lied to her." Kleinsorge has been portrayed as a character that always thinks ahead for others and such. Did Kleinsorge not know about the foreign languages, or just wanted to give Miss Sasaki a push into the right direction she wants to lead, although she is afraid of? (That probably didn't really make sense.)
In previous chapters, Mrs. Sasaki is dependent on other people, like Father Kleinsorg, comforting and giving her faith. But after she heals, it seems like instead she is the one comforting people. I think after Father Fleinsorg's visits, she becomes more positive, optimistic, and turns her life around. She says to "keep moving forward" and not to look back in the past. Dr. Fujii seemed to enjoy his life a lot, and takes pleasure in everything he does, all until he is found conscious and becomes a vegetable. That is pretty tragic, because he didn't suffer from any affects of the radiation, but died because of leaking gas in his bedroom.
Upon the conclusion of the book, I have come upon some rather interesting conclusions. First of all, Dr. Fuji's and Tantimoto's life afterwards are truly tragic. Even Sasaki and Nakamura fared better. A possible reason for this is was Hersey's deliberation in depiction. Seperating the two men from the two women, we see that Nakamura and Sasaki's biography were centered more around their personal lives, and involved interaction with many other souls, which resulted in touching moments and true success. On the other hand, the men were depicted as materialistic, and although Tantimoto was trying to raise funds for his church and was fighting for a good cause, he was mislabeled as a publicity seeker. Nothing comes more to blow than a misinterpretation for the negative. Hence, it is equally tragic to see someone's world fall apart after one's death. Dr. Fuji's life deteriorated as he aged--due to the neglect he paid to his family. The true irony was that while Sasaki remained poor, she was happy, and while Fuji was short of nothing, we can see who was better off in the end.
Also, I come upon the inevitable conclusion that John Hersey is severely biased. It was extremely apparent in this book to me, for he definitely favored the Japanese side and depicted the Americans as snobbish and pompous persons.
He portrays the Japanese as hapless innocents that were part of a great experiment only the US would have been willing to do. However, I find that quite far from the truth. While Hiroshima was the first time such a weapon was used, the initial reason was not to conduct mass research on human beings. Rather, it was seen as a clean and quick alternative to ending the war. Basically, the US had two choices by the year of 1945. Either they try one of these new bombs and scare the Japanese to surrender, or launch a second D-Day assault on the Japanese home islands. They estimated that only a crew of five would be needed to pilot the plane. An invasion would, however, cost much more. Americans already knew that the Japanese, in their state of nationalistic fevor, would defend their ground to the death. Little children were trained to crawl under tanks treads and detonate the bombs stuck in their pockets, and Japanese girls were taught to stab with sharpened bamboo sticks. In this type of environment, every inch of ground would be costly, and it was calculated that over a million men would be lost in such an assault.
John Hersey certainly did not take this dillemma into account. Furthermore, the aftermath of the "Original Plan" was not discussed either. Most likely, the end of the Invasion would have spelt the total annihilation of Japan. The ensuing aftermath would have been equivalent to the Holocaust in terms of casualites. Comparing the ratios, a total of 180,000 persons were affected by the atomic bombings, and while radiation sickness hides itself, we can expect no more than 300,000. That still is a far cry from the genocide of Japan and the massacre of a million US troops.
Furthermore, Hersey's portrayal of Lewis was extremely controversial. The pilot had undergone personal trauma over the event as well, and the drinking was probably due to that. As written in his diary, "My God, what have we done" it was clear that he showed remorse over what he had did.
All in all, I must declare, while John Hersey's account is biased and does not provide a clear spectrum (as it is tilted), it still provides a rare narrative account on what happened that day on August 6, 1945, and the consequences that followed, told from the ground view up.
Of this section, I find most amusing how Dr. Mazakazu Fujii lived his life on after the bombing. I would would have expected most to be devastated by the bomb and live a poor life from then on, well, aside from Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, that is. Fujii-san seemed to be living a carefree life full of happiness and luxury, well, in his terms. I cannot stop thinking about how little he cared about the incident and how he just went on with life; with possibly and even better one to think! He was a "playboy", he built a really new house, and he's living himself off happy. I find it such a pity that such a man who didn't suffer from any side-effects of the bomb had to die because of his pleasure-seeking lifestyle.
to Diane: Yeah, i think their marriages are going to be unhappy, if the don't divorce. I dont even know if Japanese culture and society in the mid-1900s condoned divorce. If not, they are stuck together by law. Maybe they'll live separate lives, apart from each other. If so, I pity the children. They will never get to know a true family. I think that thing that parents used to say about arranged marriages, something like, "Love will grow between the two of you eventually." is kind of, well, nonsense. It can, but it often wont, and if it does, it comes too late.
My stuff
The way Hersey ended it with Mr. Tanimoto and the way that his memory gets kind of spotty, i think it was talking about how the Japanese were beginning to kind of forget, if not really forgive. He's become Americanized, and most young people of the new generations know of the bomb through history books and their elders. They may be born with birth defects, but they dont really remember the bomb, not the explosions, the heat, the pain, the suffering. Sympathies for those with birth defects.
Miss Sasaki’s life is pretty peaceful. She becomes a nun and takes the name Sister Dominique Sasaki. She is an honored person in 1980 and makes a nice speech about life and how you have to keep moving forward. Compared to the other characters, she is pretty lucky. I don’t think Dr. Fujii lived a very good life after the bomb. He may have traveled to New York and everything, but he lived his life by the idea that pleasure is the best cure for pain. He didn’t really learn anything from the bomb, unlike Miss Sasaki. Mr. Tanimoto promises to work for peace for the rest of his life. He traveled to the states to give speeches. He even appears in a TV show. His peace center is not just a peace center; it turned into an adoption agency. Finally, he lived off the retirement fund and lives happily ever after with his wife. Mr. Tanimoto and Miss Sasaki’s lives can be said to be the better lives after the bomb. They helped people, gave speeches, and were honored by the public.
I agree with Chuni. I thought Mr Tanimoto's and Dr. Fujii's life were rather pathetic and probably the most unlucky out of the 6 survivors (apart from Father Kleinsorge's suffering). Mr Tanimoto's plan backfired and got himself labeled as a person who wants attention, and Mr Fujii's wife and their kids couldn't settle the sharing of his enormous fortune. Personally, I think the mom must be pretty selfish to sue his son for money. Unless, there's more to it that the book doesn't reveal. Ms. Sasaki's life, like Ms. Nakamura's were both hard. Ms. Sasaki had trouble finding a job because of her crippled leg, but like most of the characters, she recieved help and advice from Father Kleinsorge. In the end, she lived a rather poor, but caring life.
In general, I thought Night was a better book than Hiroshima, but that may only be because we know more about the background of the time period during the Holocaust. I learned a lot from "The Pianist" and Mrs. Wyant's presentation, which gave me a much better understanding of Night. Perhaps we should do something like that for Hiroshima too :D
Though Mr. Tanimoto vows to to work for peace, he ends up as a "publicity seeker." I do not understand why he does this. Is it because he really wants to become a celebrity? Or it was an accident, and he had no intention whatsoever of becoming the center of attraction. Also, the way Ms. Sasaki "keeps moving forward" is, for me, amazing, almost miraculous. Someone who has suffered those types of experiences and that type of life, and also losing her leg, can still use all this as an motivation, is amazing.
Tanimoto-san survived almost ten years after the average life span of the hibakushas, which is an unbelievable thing. What make his life last longer than the others.
Shannon: Of course the new generation would not be very serious about the past that their elders and Americans have, because it was their conflict, not theirs. So speaking in same way, Tanimoto-san don't want to talk about the past that is irreversible.
CHUNI:
1. On p. 146 Lewis (copilot of the Enola Gay) says he asked himself "my god, what have we done?" Do you think Lewis and the American government really regret what they did? why?
I think Hersey was trying to make the pilot look bad. He said earlier that he had been a drinker and he wasn't actually crying when he said everything. Hersey also said that the pilot only came on the show for the money. So of course he was going to say what the audience wanted him to say. I think the pilot said that sarcastically. He was just saying what the people expected him to say. I don't think that the producers were going to let him say anything negative on live television.
Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto leads a very famous life after the atom bomb. He traveled to America and stayed there, becoming famous in his efforts to petition against President Truman and to help the Hiroshima Maidens.
What do you think is the significance of the author putting information about nuclear weapons development around the world during the aftermath of Tanimoto? I think Hersey wants to show us how America's actions will change the course of history, jumping from guns immediately to a weapon capable of wiping an island off the face of earth. Taiwan is an example of an island able to be irradiated.
Dr. Fuiji, because of his hedonistic way of life, becomes a vegetable and lives the last 11 years of life as an invalid. Although it is a sad fate for one who is so successful, i have nothing to say to him but, "Serves you right."
In the life of Toshiko Sasaki, Father Kleinsorge always supports the hope in her life. As we talked about Father Kleinsorge in class, he was always people’s hope in that condition. And also he was the one who connected the other character together. Also in this chapter, Sasaki had an extremely different life than other people.
“His memory, like the world’s, was getting spotty. “ –page 152, I think John Hersey have leave the readers a feeling of loneliness but also peaceful. Why did Hersey wrote and put this sentence in the back for this novel? To leave the readers a thought to think? Or what?
I think Miss Sasaki's life was greatly influenced by the bomb. She had temporarily lost use of her leg, and lost also her fiance because of her injury. Judging from what has happened to her, one would think that she would remain depressed and cynical for the rest of her life. However, she did not complain about the events and eventually decided to move on, even taking on a religion. I admire her optimism, because not everyone could shield away from a past as horrible as hers.
Toshiko Sasaki is having a hard time taking care of her siblings. She‘s also unable to marry off to her fiancé just because she’s a hibakusha. But this hasn’t change the fact giving up supporting the kids. I’m really surprise how she could go off to do many other jobs, and seeming tireless. It’s amazing at the end she said, “I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when I survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward.” She’s very tough, and if I was in that situation. I believe it would be hard to stand up with such situation.
I can see how much she changes, and has converted into Catholic after so many visits of Father Kleinsorge. One special point about Sasaki-san was, she’s able to realize happiness, and move on no matter how tire she gets. Though she may be hurt but it didn’t matter for she found her purpose of living and how lucky she is to survive the A-bomb. From the way Hershey describes Sasaki, it seems he’s telling us that one can change one another from a religion or your doings to proof something that can be done. Also, out of all the characters, she’s the unhurt one and was all good until the end. As for Dr. Fuji, he’s the worse out of all. Instead of getting better then died, he gets worse and worse then died from miseries.
I believe out of all characters, Dr. Fuji has the life that’s most suffering. Instead of just pass away, he still have to suffer for an amount of time until passing away. This is a big difference Hershey had showed us about Dr. Fuji. His disease had spread longer than any other characters. Did he give up? I think it’s his bad health that makse him like this. He didn’t commit suicide as far as his family members said. It is a disappointment for me when I read how horrible way his life ended. His ending is the most misery than the rest. Hershey make Dr. Fuji stand out to be the one.
On the last page, the last sentence
"His[Tanimoto] memory, like the world's, was getting spotty"
Since the bombing of Hiroshima it has already been over ten years since the incident happened. People have started to forgot about it. During the ten years people have started to not reject the Hibakusha, they don't shy away from them anymore so they forgot gradually forgot about the bombing. Also the people who here not Hibakusha didn't experience the bomb first hand, they wouldn't know the pain, the suffering the Hibakusha went through. So the horribly incident wouldn't always stay in their minds. But for the Hibakusha the experience will always stay in your mind. Unless of course you had a sickness.
Mrs. Sasaki is probably the person who had a successful life after the bombing. Although Dr. Fuji and Mr. Tanimoto both lived successfully, they both had a sad ending to their story. One ended up dead and their family quarreling about his property, and the other one thought as an attention seeker.
It is worth noting that Mrs. Sasaki and Dr. Fuji, who would have lived quite successfully had he not died, were the people who cared about the future and presence, were actually the ones to live quite successfully. Whereas Mr. Tanimoto, who was still concerned about the past, had a much more difficult life.
My question is whether caring about the past affected the other people in the story? Would it have affected other people?
Reply to Chuni's Question:
I think it's a good decision for Father Kleinsorge to trick Sasaki-san into convert where they speak foreign language. Because it give more views for Sasaki-san, to let her learn. Father Kleinsorge did that was to help her. In the end, she said "I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when I survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward." This gives her more hope for forward. And maybe i think Father Kleinsorge trick her is to let her understand. But I'm not possitive what though.
I agree with Angela. Miss Sasaki was greatly influenced by the bomb. As a result of being crippled and being labeled hibakusha, she lost her fiance. Of course, she also suffered the pain of being unable to walk properly. Despite the critical effect of these "road blocks" in her life, she coped with the difficulties very well. Instead of sulking in a dark corner, mourning for her life before the bomb dropped, she decides to make something of her life and works at an orphanage. Along with her disabilities, Miss Sasaki must also support her younger siblings. I consider her a hero for her ability to endure problems and turn her attention towards those in need.
After reading about Toshiko Sasaki’s life after the bombing, I felt that she had a tough life ahead of her. She struggles to care for her younger siblings without anyone’s help and at the same time, when the government gave little job opportunities to those with radiation sickness. Although, she was quite fortunate to get a job at a orphange where she enjoyed helping others. It was very heartbreaking that her fiance never came back to see her since he knew that she was a cripple. But without complaint, she learned to "hobble without crutches” and tried to“keep moving forward”. She had promised herself to not think about the past.
Miss Sasaki never fully recovers from her damaged leg. Father Kleinsorge eventually convinces her to become a sister at a convent. As Sister Dominique Sasaki, she has a distinguished career and travels around the world. In her speech at a dinner in Tokyo, she vows to “keep moving forward” with the “spare life” that had been given to her when she survived the atomic bomb. I found that particularly moving, especially after all the disappointments and hardships she went through.
Eager to make friends with the Americans, Dr. Fuji learns English and makes friends with Americans. He becomes to love pleasure, and continues his life with drinking, partying, and playing golf. He travels to New York with the Hiroshima Maidens, and is found unconscious in his room during a New Years party. He is pretty much a vegetable until his death. I thought it was extremely sad how he seemed to have the least fulfilling life in the end, and how his family quarreled over his property. He would have been happier if he learned to communicate with his family more, and make better decisions rather than follow the path of a hedonist.
Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto works for peace the rest of his life. He travels to America to give speeches and raises money for a peace center in Japan. His plan completely backfires on him, and in the end, his peace center is a little more than a home-run adoption agency. He retires from the pulpit, and lives off his pension with his wife. I am rather surprised at this ending, because he seemed to be one of the more prominent people during the bombing, helping to save many people. In the end he was just like any other normal person, and his efforts to help failed in a way. What happened to his daughter, Koko, really saddened me though.
I think a few ironic things concerning the bomb are revealed in this part of the chapter. “Her greatest gift, she found, was her ability to help inmates to die in peace. She had seen so much death in Hiroshima after the bombing and had seen what strange things so many people did when they were cornered by death, that nothing now surprised or frightened her.” (Hersey 124) The Atomic bomb turned Ms. Sasaki into a person with a disability. Yet it also gave her an advantage in her new profession as a nun. The bomb was both a curse and blessing to her. Another ironic thing in this chapter was how Reverend Tanimoto raised funds in America to build churches in Hiroshima. It was interesting how he found people that would donate money from the country that bombed them in the first place.
What i think about Hiroshima, this book, masterpiece, the memories from Hersey's. It mainly records every main characters but not much on the settings. These characters have done their best to keep survive after the bomb. They didn't gave up their hopes, but passing the rest of their life. Like Father Takakura, he was a responsible man in Hiroshima, he care about HIS people, then he died with his mission accomplished serving his people until he was gone.
These records tells about Hiroshima and the main characters, tells me that we musn't given up our hope but treasure our life, that our first day had given us. Every people was born for something, nobody are perfect indeed, because the life is fair to everybody.
I think Miss Sasaki’s life after the bomb was half good half bad. The good part was that she got closer to her family (especially her two siblings), she learned foreign languages, and that she believed in her religion and in God (that made her see that even though she is crippled and her wounds would never heal completely she couldn’t do anything about it, she just got on with life). She learned how to just forget it and go on, like the way she helps the dying people to forget what they did wrong and just let them die in peace. The bad part in her life after the bomb, was that she couldn’t be entirely healed, and she lost her fiance because of that. I really think she is a very good person, she learns how to cope with her problems, and take care and help others at the orphanage.
Kimi: I think the author wants to say that he was forgeting the bad times, and so is the world, forgeting that this has never happened.
The government neglected the victims from the atomic bomb. To me this was extremely sad because they already suffered a terrible loss and they are still being treated like outcasts instead of with sympathy.
Well, I finished the book. At first when i read it, i thought i would just be some ordinary description about the a-bomb. However, after i finished the book, i realized the gravity of the aftermath of the bomb. People werent just physically hurt, they were also mentally hurt, dehumanized. People became so numbed by the bomb and its aftermath that some ignored their family relatives, some victims became discriminated and labeled as an outcast. This was very sad because i dont think that anyone else than the people that got affected by the bomb could possibly imagine what life would be like. Some people's life changed for the better, some for the worse. Like Ms. Sasaki being crippled. Ordinary people would lose hope just by becoming a cripple. But surprisingly, she became more optimistic. I learned that sometimes disasters strangely bring strangers together and somehow creates some kind of bond that links them together and start helping each other out. Reading the novel helps us understand the importance of humanity.
It was unfortunate that Dr. Fuji was the other victim of the six to die. Ms. Sasaki was not completely healed from her past injuries but she never lost hope that she was going to get better. Dr. Fuji had a somewhat successful lie in healthcare, providing different services. Ironically, all his children follow in their father’s footsteps: healthcare. Tanimoto had been busy in trying to keep the world from suffering from bomb attacks. He also tried to build memorials for the bombings of Hiroshima and allowed a few Japanese girls to have plastic surgery to hide their war scars. He walked around the US collecting money to build churches and fund some of his project. He generally never gave up the fact that they could build the memorandum for the bombing of Hiroshima even though he had been turned down many times. Tanimoto kept working to finish his projects.
The hibakusha of the six people that seemed to have the saddest ending in the end was Dr. Fujii. Though he was the only one who had not been affected by radiation sickness and seemed to be the best one off physically, he went on living for pleasure and living a hedonistic life instead of working hard like the others who had been worse off after the bomb. Thus, in the end, his body had been wrecked by what he had done to it instead of what the bomb did, and he lost most of what he had when he spent the last 11 years of his life in a vegetable state. Since this is a historical novel, I don't think that Hersey is trying to show that hedonistic people end up in worse states; but that through what he wrote we can see that those who work hard can pick themselves up and put together a good life for themselves, even if they start out from worse situations than others. Conversely, if one starts out better but does everything for pleasure instead of trying to make his life better, he will end up short of what he could be.
After reading Toshiko Sasaki's part, I think she really cares about her siblings. I also thought that it was sad, that her fiancee didn't come back for her, because he somehow knew that she was affected by the bombing. Out of these three, I think she was the saddest person, because she worked really hard.
I don't really have a question.
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