Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an eye opening novel by Jamie Ford following the life of Chinese American, Henry Lee, and his Japanese American companion Keiko Okabe and their struggle throughout a period of discrimination, prejudice and paranoia in Settle Washington during World War Two. At first glance, one might assume that the theme of the book is along the lines of something romantic; however, there is one reoccurring theme that is misunderstandings and misinterpretations can lead to harmful situations. This theme is seen quite often through the book; however, three of the most preeminent instances are Henry had believed Keiko had stopped caring for him when instead his father had prevented Henry from receiving his letters, when Henry’s father and the rest of the community had believed all Japanese were inherently their nemeses, and when Henry kept his past a secret to Marty because the thought it would upset Marty.
Henry’s father is on his death bed; his last words are to Henry: “Wo wi ni zuo,” which translates to “I did it for you,” (Ford 263). For months Henry had sent letters to Keiko and seldom got a reply which lead him to believe that Keiko had lost interest in him and that she had moved on. This caused him much distress and disappointment. Upon hearing
…show more content…
his father’s last words, everything seemed to fall into place. Henry understood the message; Henry’s father had been using his power to prevent Keiko and Henry from receiving each other’s letters. Henry found that the absence of Keiko’s letters wasn’t because Keiko hadn’t cared enough, but rather that his father had cared too much. Henry and Marty never had enough communication and understanding in their father son relationship to begin with; however after Ethel’s death the little interactions they had soon diminished. Henry never told Marty about Keiko and his lasting feelings for her because he had thought Marty reaction would be negative and that Marty would think Henry didn’t love Ethel; however when Marty found out about Keiko he was very understanding and even helped Marty coalesce. Because Henry believed it could upset Marty to discover Henry’s past relationship with Keiko, he never told Marty about it which resulted in Henry spending more time alone and away from Keiko. Mr.
Lee grew up in China, a country that had been ravaged by Japan, because of this this has resulted in a deep hatred for Japan that followed Henrys father all the way to his death. When reading in the paper that Japanese school teachers were being put in jail for reasons that weren’t clear, Henry's father felt relief and victory (67). Unfortunately Henry’s father wasn’t the only one with a negative impression of japan; many Americans regarded all Japanese Americans as enemies and possible spy’s, this created a torrent of hate and discrimination towards the Japanese. In reality, most, if not all, of these Japanese Americans were not spies and many didn’t care to be associated with
Japan. Throughout Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet readers are submerged in a plot littered with conflicts that are generated by misinterpretations and false information. Jamie Ford has stressed the importance of communication and understanding and the consequences that follow.
I know the theme is acceptance strengthens bonds between family and friends.Because the text says Henry is on lunch duty in his all white school when he is joined by a Japanese girl named Keiko. At first, he is dumbfounded but slowly starts to accept her as the other white kids are teasing them. They share a can of peaches in the school pantry and Henry enjoys his time with her very much. A quote from the text Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet says “Then they ate their lunch, together, splitting a can of pears in the storage room. Henry thought they tasted especially good that day.” These sentences have a much deeper meaning than they appeared to have. The moment Henry and Keiko shared in the storage room was the blossom of their friendship.
Henry's relationship with his father was rough to say the least, but it did help shape him into the person he was . The two of them never really saw eye to eye. His father, who grew up in China, had very strong opinions about opinions against the Japanese. When Henry told him about his Japanese friend Keiko, he did not
It gives facts and real life story living on this camp. This is actually someone real life story. When Jeanne dad left the family, the family could not bear. Living on the camps it was dusty, cold and windy. Jeanne states at the end that, “Even though her dad was a drunk, the way he drives—like a madman—actually inspires Jeanne with confidence to get past her fears of what life might be like outside of camp”. Growing up with all the racism remarks and surroundings was not easy and it has not been easy learning to remember and talk about her experience at the camp, but she overcame her fear. Jeanne has finally let it be free and be known. She now feels more better than ever about this. Also, even though Americans did not like Japanese she still married a
In these five paragraphs I will be writing about the book “Hotel on the Corner of Sweet and Bitter” written by Jamie Ford and five quotation that important and made up the theme for me. This book gives a feel a lot of different emotions. The first quote was “‘You are Chinese aren’t you,Henry? That’s fine. Be who you are, she said, turning away, a look of disappointment in her eyes. “But I’m an American’’(p. 60). This quote is important because it shows how Keiko believes even if her parents are Japanese she feels more American then Japanese since she barely spoke Japanese.
Beginning in March of 1942, in the midst of World War II, over 100,000 Japanese-Americans were forcefully removed from their homes and ordered to relocate to several of what the United States has euphemistically labeled “internment camps.” In Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston describes in frightening detail her family’s experience of confinement for three and a half years during the war. In efforts to cope with the mortification and dehumanization and the boredom they were facing, the Wakatsukis and other Japanese-Americans participated in a wide range of activities. The children, before a structured school system was organized, generally played sports or made trouble; some adults worked for extremely meager wages, while others refused and had hobbies, and others involved themselves in more self-destructive activities.
Ford, Jamie. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel. New York: Ballantine, 2009. Print.
Born in 1894, Hee Kyung Lee grew up in Taegu, Korea. Although the details of her early life are not given, the reader can assume that she came from a decent middle class family because her parents had servants (Pai 2, 10). In the early 1900’s, Japan exercised immense control over Korea, which by 1910 was completely annexed. Her twenty-year-old sister and eighteen-year-old Lee were introduced to the picture bride system, an opportunity to escape the Japanese oppression (Pai 4). Unlike her older sister, Lee made the decision to immigrate to Hawaii in 1912 as a pictu...
Written by Jamie Ford, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet follows the life of Henry Lee, a young Chinese-American boy living in Seattle in the 1940’s during World War II, and his reflections on his youth later, in the 1980’s. The novel illustrates the theme that loyalty is important in times of hardship. Henry deals with both loyalty and the absence of it as he copes with his broken relationship with his father, his forbidden, but strong friendship with a Japanese girl, Keiko, and his awkward connection with his son.
The obstacles Ichiro faced in searching for his lost identity reveal a discrepancy of American values, such as freedom and equality, which are deeply rooted in a segregated society. Through the negativity of many of the Japanese-American veterans and the differences among Ichiro’s entire family, he has literally gone from having a duel-heritage to no identity at all. Since he has no desire to be Japanese and feels unworthy to be American, he sees himself as nothing. His hatred of himself not only hinders the possibilities before him, but it also paints a whole new picture of America. Instead of a nation that is united and fights for freedom and equality, America is divided by racism and strips away the freedom of those they find inferior.
Happy endings to stories are often times pre conceived to mean something considered good -- things such as a romantic kiss confirming mutual love, a heroic “saves the day” moment, or a grand victory in an epic battle. However, the notion that happy endings only spur from sentient fortunate events is a misconceived one; in fact, happy endings can also be moral or spiritual, even if the final act closes with death. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, John’s suicide that ends the novel gives him both spiritual reassessment and moral reconciliation as he searches for isolation both for his own sake and for what he believes to be the sake of World State as a whole.
One historical event that shows the general attitude of anti-Japanese feeling that was so prevalent in the 1940 to 1955 time period is an article from the Tuesday, March 24, 1942 edition of the New York Times. The article is written in Manazar, California, the same place where the Japanese people of the novel were sent. The article's title "Japanese Begin Evacuation Trek" is a show of prejudice itself ("Japanese" 21). The fact that the wholly unconstitutional relocation of not only aliens but American citizens is called a "evacuation" is laughable. This event was the forced relocation of people who reminded some other people of the tragic events of Pearl Harbor. To do this nowadays would be like gathering up all Arab-Americans ...
Japanese immigration created the same apprehension and intolerance in the mind of the Americans as was in the case of Chinese migration to the U.S at the turn of the 19th century. They developed a fear of being overwhelmed by a people having distinct ethnicity, skin color and language that made them “inassimilable.” Hence they wanted the government to restrict Asian migration. Japan’s military victories over Russia and China reinforced this feeling that the Western world was facing what came to be known as “yellow peril”. This was reflected in the media, movies and in literature and journalism.4 Anti-Oriental public opinion gave way to several declarations and laws to restrict Japanese prosperity on American land. Despite the prejudice and ineligibility to obtain citizenship the ...
Accessed August/September, 2013. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/chinex.htm. Dundes, Renteln, Alison. " A Psychohistorical Analysis of the Japanese American Internment.
Knowing that it would be four years of relentless pestering, I knew that someday I would surpass my tormentors; I would keep under cover of my books and study hard to make my brother proud one day. It would be worth the pain to someday walk into a restaurant and see my former bully come to my table wearing an apron and a nametag and wait on me, complete with a lousy tip. To walk the halls of the hospital I work in, sporting a stethoscope and white coat while walking across the floor that was just cleaned not to long ago by the janitor, who was the same boy that tried to pick a fight with me back in middle school. To me, an Asian in an American school is picking up where my brother left off. It’s a promise to my family that I wouldn’t disappoint nor dishonor our name. It’s a battle that’s gains victory without being fought.
In essence, he was shunned” (Hongo 4) by the white people who could not believe that he would attack their superior American ways. According to writers such as Frank Chin and the rest of the “Aiiieeeee!” group, the Americans have dictated Asian culture and created a perception as “nice and quiet” (Chin 1972, 18), “mama’s boys and crybabies” without “a man in all [the] males.” (Chin 1972, 24). This has become the belief of the preceding generations of Asian Americans and therefore manifested these stereotypes. Those authors who contest these “American made” stereotypes are said to betray the American culture and white power around them, and to be “rocking the boat” in a seemingly decent living situation.