Julie Otsuka's When The Emperor Was Divine

673 Words2 Pages

Tania Bruguera once said, “In a global world, we should all be citizens. Dignity has no nationality.” Be this as it may, this belief was not popular in the 1940s, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It did not stop the internment of Japanese Americans, who were believed to be alien informers helping Japan during World War II. When the Emperor was Divine, written by Julie Otsuka, is a historical fiction novel following a Japanese American family through the time of internment. The father is taken away to a camp for foreign enemies, and a little while after, the rest of the family (the woman/mother, the girl, and the boy) are sent to an internment camp for the duration of WWII. While in the camps, each member of the family goes through individual conflict revolving around the opinions of society, as well as their own …show more content…

In When the Emperor Was Divine, Otsuka uses a person versus self conflict to show that the characters are not only fighting against the opinions of society, but also the effects upon themselves, ultimately proving that an internal conflict caused by prejudice and racism leads to identity loss and depression. The person vs. self conflict of identity loss is a main point in the characters’ lives within the chaos of internment and post-war life. This conflict is caused by animosity from society, and is often seen throughout the book in forms of self-mockery and insecurity. In When the Emperor was Divine, the boy begins to internalize the racism shown toward all Japanese Americans. As he continues to be trapped within the camps, the boy is always reminded of society’s opinion of himself. “He narrowed his eyes and stuck out his two front teeth. I pledge arregiance to the frag.”(Otsuka 87). Mocking himself in the mirror, the boy is showing he is affected by the prejudice and animosity circling throughout the

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