Perspective

Mine Okubo narrates her experiences in a relocation camp during World War II in first-person perspective. Most striking about her perspective is its objectivity and usually neutral observational qualities. Though we trace her story from the point she flees Europe when war is declared to when she leaves the Topaz camp for freedom, the story is devoid of Mine's own emotions, commentary, thoughts, beliefs, and opinions. Similarly, specificity is usually avoided in favor of generalities; for example, her brother is not named and is practically a nonentity in the proceedings. Additionally, specific incidents are eschewed in favor of general conditions. The narrative is actually an interesting hybrid of a personal autobiography with a more straight-ahead history of everyday life in relocation camps.

Mine usually betrays little emotion or bias in relating the events. This is an effort to portray the events as a real rather than subjective history...