Manjiro

Manjiro is a fourteen-year-old Japanese boy when the novel opens. He is the sole provider for his family because his father is dead. He is in a boat fishing off the Japanese shore when a storm blows in, which gets the boat and the fishermen lost at sea.

While lost at sea, each fisherman is telling of his hopes and dreams. Manjiro blurts out that his dream is to become a samurai. They all know this cannot happen because samurais come from samurai families, and Manjiro comes from a fishermen family.

Manjiro is always eager to learn. He excels at learning while onboard the American whaling ship. He becomes endeared to the captain, so Manjiro decides to go to America to live with the captain as his son. Manjiro faces prejudice and ridicule while he lives in America but he always perseveres.

As a man, Manjiro returns to...