Through the life of a young girl named Ruri, we get to understand the life of Japanese Americans during World War II. The Bracelet gives us a good view of the life of Japanese Americans. During December 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, starting World War II. When this happened, the US government locked up the Japanese in fear that they would be a danger to the US. Ruri’s family has Japanese heritage and was therefore forced to go to internment camps where they were treated terribly. Many of these Japanese people were even born in the US and were citizens of the US. Despite this, they were still locked up. Through fear, these Japanese Americans lived in animal stalls trying to make the best out of what they have. When Ruri’s family is locked up, Laurie, Ruri’s friend, comes by to say goodbye and gives Ruri’s a bracelet so she wouldn’t forget her. The Bracelet is an autobiographical fiction novel that follows Ruri’s family during the uprooting of Japanese Americans and what life was during WW2.
War can bring hardships to many people especially the ones being targeted. During war, people live in fear of one another and life is especially hard for the ones who are being targeted. During WW2, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor causing the US to one, declare war one Japan, and two, put the Japanese in internment camps. The US government feared that the Japanese were dangerous and could be spies for the Japanese. This resulted in them locking up hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Ruri’s family, like many others, were destroyed when they had to quickly pack their bags and leave for the camps. At the camps, conditions weren’t so good either, as we discover that Ruri’s family was sent to live in animal stalls. In this case, the hardships that were brought to the Japanese was the fact that they lost their homes, freedom, and rights to the US government in a really, really unfair way. War can bring changes in many things especially the way one lives their life.
Family plays an important role during many times, especially during tough times. Family members are those we turn to when times are tough and we need help. Especially during a time like WW2, having all the support you can is the best thing that can happen. When the Japanese were put in internment camps, many times, families were broken up and separated all over the place. Ruri’s father, because he worked in a Japanese facility, he lost his job and was also taken away by the government, leaving his wife and children on their own. At that time, most women stayed at home and were housewives. Ruri’s mother then had to find a way to pay the bills and feed herself and her children. Then, as seen in the story, once it was time to go to the camps, Ruri and Keiko helped their mother settle in and set up their ‘home’. This shows that no matter what happens and comes your way, it is always family first. Your family are those who you love and care for and they are also the people you turn to during hard times.
Friendship can be shown in many ways, but a true friend is someone that is so special that one wouldn’t forget them no matter what. Ever heard of a ‘friendship bracelet’? Well, turns out, it's a bracelet that friends wear that can never come off and is a symbol of their friendship. However, if a friend is so special, can we really ever forget them completely? A lot of time you have to say goodbye to a friend. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will never see them again. When Ruri’s family leaves for the internment camps, her neighbor Laurie comes and says goodbye to her. Along with herself, Laurie brings Ruri a bracelet to wear so Ruri will never forget her. The bracelet that Laurie gives Ruri symbolizes their never ending friendship. Once Ruri gets into the camp however, she loses the bracelet and looks everywhere for it. Her mother tells her to stop looking for it because her friendship with Laurie was too strong to be forgotten. In the end, her mother was right, she never forgot Laurie. Friendship can be represented in many ways and through many things, however, we will never forget the ones who we truly love.
The Bracelet is a novel written by Yoshiko Uchida about her experience as a little girl in the internment camps. She shows how her life was during that time and how hard it was to leave her home in the midst of chaos and settle down in a horse stalls. The Bracelet symbolizes her (Ruri) friendship with Laurie and how they will never forget each other. However, on her way to the camp, Ruri loses the bracelet. This makes her think that she will forget Laurie. However, in reality, she never ever forgot Laurie. During WW2, many families like Ruri’s were put into internment camps. Life there was hard and they stayed there till the war was over. The Bracelet is a sad sweet story that tells the life of Ruri and how she copes with life during WW2.
Comments