"The Bracelet" by Yoshiko Uchida is a heart-warming story about a young Japanese-American girl named Ruri and her family who are relocated to an apartment in San Francisco after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ruri is excited about the new apartment and the chance to experience city life, but soon realizes the difficulties of their situation. As they try to settle into their new home, Ruri loses the bracelet that her best friend Laurie had given her before they left. The bracelet is a symbol of their friendship and the happier times before the war, and Ruri is devastated by the loss. The bracelet is also a reminder of the good times they shared together, and Ruri hopes that it will help Laurie remember her as a friend and not just as a Japanese-American girl. Ruri is extremely devastated and cries for a very long time until her mother calms her down. The wise woman says that Laurie, her father, and many other important people she will remember in the future will always stay in her memories and in her heart. And so, Ruri takes in this advice and tries to remember Laurie’s existence not just by the bracelet but also by her heart’s will. Despite the challenges they face, Ruri and her family hold onto their memories of the past and the people they love.
Family is a crucial and fundamental unit of society, providing individuals with a sense of belonging, security, and support throughout their lives. Family can give us great and responsible advice that helps us throughout learning to move on and find new solutions to a problem that seems locked to fixing. Despite the hardships Ruri faces, the bracelet reminds her of the importance of her family and their connection to their Japanese heritage, which helps her to find strength and resilience in the face of adversity. Through the story, Uchida emphasizes the importance of family and friendship as a source of comfort, support, and identity in difficult times. Family plays an essential role in shaping our identity and sense of belonging. They provide us with a sense of security, support, and unconditional love, which helps us navigate through life's challenges. Family is important, loving and necessary for everyone of any age in our lvies because they give us a open hallway to walkthrough, a escape portal to fall into, a stuffed toy we can hug for as long as we feel like it. Ruri’s family, though rather small, can represent a lot in her life, even every painful thing can not beat the power of the love in families.
Memories serve as a recall of our experiences, the bracelet is a symbolic gesture, a symbol of friendship and memory, like a link to people's emotions. Memories can be helpful in processing painful experiences and promoting emotional healing. Remembering difficult moments can provide insights into our emotions, behaviors, and thoughts, and offer a sense of validation. Sharing memories with others can also foster connection and empathy. Overall, memories can play an important role in our emotional well-being, even when they recall painful events. Ruri is a extremely sensitive and also shy girl, but curious and inquisitive. When she loses her best friend Laurie’s bracelet, she is depressed, sad, and emtoional until the words of her mother sinks in: “She said I didn’t need a bracelet to remember Laurie, just as I didn’t need anything to remember Papa or our home in Berkeley or all the people and things we loved and had left behind. “Those are things we can carry in our hearts and take with us no matter where we are sent,” she said.” This is a great choice of words, and Ruri decides to take the words in, and keep Laurie and her father in her memories. During hard times, an that includes world wars like where Ruri is in; we should keep it in mind nad cope with our memories to remember or forget about it.
The impact of World War I on Japanese-American families in ‘The Bracelet’ is powerfully portrayed, as hundreds of thousands of innocent people are forced to leave their home behind to move to an internment camp. World War I forces people like Ruri and her family to leave their precious home, work, and all their close ones behind to move into a much unfamiliar and cold place, or apartment. When Ruri left, her best friend Laurie gifts her a bracelet which symbolises she cares for what Ruri is going to have to overcome and face during her experience in World War I. People like Laurie do not have to move because this story includes a high level of racism against Japanese-Americans. Laurie is pure American, which is why she doesn[t need to move because they consider her, her family, and her close ones as ‘normal’ and ‘part of the society’. Ruri and her family has to leave because they were not pure American, they were part Japanese. World War I effected not only her family but many others that sadly got a ‘different’ appearance and race. World War I had a profound impact on the world, resulting in significant changes to political and social systems, and long-lasting cultural and economic effects to families like Ruri’s.
In 'The Bracelet', Yoshiko Uchida explores the complex themes of memories and forgetfulness, family, and the struggles of Japanese Americans during and after World War II. The story revolves around the journey of a young Japanese-American girl, Ruri, who is torn between embracing her heritage and fitting into American society. As Ruri struggles to find her place in the world, she discovers the power of her memories keeping everything important stored up, and the importance of her family; though rather small, giving her support, keeping her safe, and giving her the best and most helping advice they could think of. This is what a family should do, and Ruri is lucky to have such a great family. Ruri’s father may have left, and her little family may be a little torn apart after moving and losing one member of the heart, and the members may be heartbroken without a full circle. But, love is there, family is there, memories are there, gifts are there, and trust and warmth are there all in that small family. We may lose something or someone we love a lot and care about a lot, but sometimes we must move on and sut kep those thoughts in our memories. The Bracelet talks about how family can help us remeber and keep things in our minds, and the lives of a small, torn apart family can explain a lot.
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