When The Emperor Was Divine Literary Analysis

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The novel When the Emperor Was Divine was written by Julie Otsuka exploring the life struggles and tribulations of a Japanese American family. The family moved to the U.S. in the 1940s, and the mother is oblivious to the imminent crisis that is set to befall the nation, starting with the evacuation of the Japanese from California. When the family eventually leaves for a composite in Utah, they realize that the same struggles that they face are reminiscent of other Japanese in the camp who are struggling to maintain their identity. Otsuka uses symbols in her novel to advance her thoughts, and critically, add important dimensions and meanings to the deadly plot. Otsuka uses some ‘prominent’ symbols such as flowers, horses, and dust, but from …show more content…

Ideally, the author and the audience must share mutual feelings, and the use of universal symbols in the novel is crucial in understanding the tragic that the family faces (Duckart n.pag). However, the use of universal symbols in Otsuka’s book takes a different dimension by attaching personal symbols to the ideas and feelings of the reader. In the end, nature, colors, and animals are recurrent symbols that are integral in embracing individual symbols that are attached to the tragic times that the Japanese-American family …show more content…

The narcissus in the woman’s garden release petals in one clump (Otsuka 15). Furthermore, the narcissus is a sign of bad luck to the family and their survival. Otsuka (103) uses another flower to represent both hope and sorrow. However, for our theme of the tragedy, a man in the camp dies and an unfamiliar and rare flower was spotted on the other side of the fence”. The man was purportedly shot while reaching for the flower, symbolizing the struggle for freedom and a better life (Otsuka 101) In the end, the death of the man represents persona tragedy from an innocent action, an action with a deadly

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