The Bracelet was written by Yoshiko Uchida. The story portrays a young Japanese American girl Ruri and her family members who were forced to relocate to a terrible camp by American soldiers during WWII. As they moved into the concentration camp, Ruri lost the bracelet which was given by her best friend Laurie. However, her mother told her that as long as she is missing her friend, she will always connect to her friend by heart instead of just a Bracelet. Through the story, we can see that the tough situation the Japanese American community faced and the resilience and strength of the Japanese American community when they are experiencing the adversity and discrimination.8
The wars disrupt and uproot innocent individuals and families' lives and leave a long-lasting impact. This story shows how war affects not only the soldiers, but it gives rise to famine, poverty and even losing home. For example, Ruri's family were compelled to leave their home and relocate to a concentration camp. They have to stay in a simple and dirty room for two years. It will also be a most gloomy time in Ruri's life. However they are not the only family which stays in the concentration camp, but there are also many families suffering the same situation. Nevertheless, there's a lot of concentration camps in other countries. This example explains how the wars turn the civilian's normal life into a flagrant life. During this lengthy time, people suffered not only physical torment, but their mental will also suffer huge trauma. Especially children like Ruri, they will get a big psychological shadow for the rest of their life. Through Ruri's experience, she and her family were severely impacted by the war. The war also brought disaster to civilians, such as earthquakes and floods. It changes people's normal to nothing instantaneous. 13
Injustice is also a factor which affects people's lives negatively. especially in some specific time period such as World War II. Due to the wars between Japan and America, there is a huge impact on Japanese American. They suffered discrimination and unfair treatment, but they are just innocent American civilians. For example, during World War II, Ruri's family were forced to be sent to a concentration camp by the American soldiers, due to their identity and race, Japanese American. They were forced to leave Berkeley, California and they had to stay there for two years. The reason they were treated like criminals is because the American government suspects the Japanese Americans potentially became spies and revengers. This fact reflects that Japanese Americans' civil rights have been violated. It reflects that society has prejudice and discrimination against some groups. The author utilized the Ruri family's painful experiences as an entry point to expose the serious unfairness in American society and racism at that time. This is not only happening to Japanese American , there are also many other races and communities that have suffered different degrees of discrimination and it even has a negative impact on their next generations. 14
The power of memory can help people to sustain through difficult times. In other words, Memory can connect people to their past friends so that they can build the inner strength to relieve negative emotion, especially during tough times. On the other hand, Love can offer emotional support such as confidence, comfort and encouragement to overcome the challenging circumstances. For example, in the story, Although Ruri and her friend Laurie were physically separated, and even Ruri lost the bracelet which was from Laurie, the memory was the power connecting them together which supported Ruri conquering the challenge. This example highlights how the power of memory can help people sustain through difficult times. During the next two years Ruri got more determination and resilience to overcome hardship. She was never alone in the concentration camp, Laurie accompanied her in another way.
The story illustrates that Memory from the past is very powerful, people can find hope and strength to endure the toughest challenges. It can give people more courage and confidence by recalling these positive and warm things. 13
In conclusion, The Bracelet is a powerful story that highlights what people suffered from WWII and the lasting impact of this war on individuals and communities and the importance of understanding the consequences of conflicts. Also the story underscores the injustice and discrimination which Japanese Americans experienced during World War II time period and how they persevered through this difficult time by their resilience and strength. Furthermore It reminds us that memory is very powerful and that people can carry cherished memories with them to overcome adversity and become stronger. Through the experiences of Ruri and her family, we understand the importance of standing up against injustice, cherishing our memories and working towards a more just and peaceful future! 9
Comentarios