What are Chopstick Hair Ornaments?

After the Japanese were forced to leave J-town and their houses were raided, the Americans began to display items from Japan in their homes. It is insinuated that these things were taken from the homes of the Japanese people. One woman wearing chopstick hair ornaments indicates she has to not think about where the chopsticks came from in order to be able to wear them. Her statement about the chopsticks makes her appear to be shallow and unsympathetic to the Japanese. The chopsticks and other items taken from the Japanese homes symbolize the lives the Japanese left behind while the Americans’ acts of stealing the items symbolize their lack of guilt when it came to taking advantage of the Japanese.