Identity

A major theme of the book is the struggle of first-generation Japanese-Americans to figure out who they are. Their parents, who came over from Japan, often spoke very little English and believed they would return to Japan one day. Many of them did not want their children to identify themselves as American. This issue became very clearly highlighted during World War II, when young men in the relocation camps were offered the choice of joining the American military to fight against Japan, or going to prison.

Ichiro wrestles with this issue throughout the book. He loves America and the opportunities it provides, but his mother believes any hint of an American identity shows disloyalty and disgrace to the family. Different characters within the book handle the issue of cultural identity in different ways. Ichiro’s brother Taro is humiliated by Ichiro’s choice to go to prison and...