Divine Emperor Questions Answered

Why do you think the main characters are unnamed in the book? How does that detail add to the author's project? Compare the lack of names to people and places that are named in the book and see what is emphasized in this comparison.

I think that Julie Otsuka's choice to unname the characters was a brilliant idea and really has a significant reason. The situation that the characters have found themselves in is a huge reason for their lack of names. The treatment and situation of these internment camps are so degrading towards the Japanese people. It almost seems that if they take their identity away from themselves, de-root themselves from their heritage, and in every way depersonalize their lives, then maybe they wouldn’t be in those camps. When the mother and children leave their house, they only take the basics and leave things such as the homemade wine behind. The mother detaches herself from her past identity because look where it has taken her...into these internment camps. Although I think the family was never ashamed of their identities, I think that because of the situation they are forced into, they feel that to better their futures they must leave anything personal behind them, such as the mother's homemade wine. She leaves a part of her behind, so that if she ever returns, she has a piece of her old self still in existence, but she knows that for now she must move on and leaves her identity behind her. Also, I feel as though the lack of names to these characters makes their story more generalized to the whole population. Many Japanese families were sent to these camps, with fathers already taken away for questioning, and without really knowing what the future holds for them. Otsuka talks about his one family, but because they are so impersonal they represent this bigger movement and situation for their people. And although the main characters are without names, there are random characters that do have names. I have been wondering why Otsuka would include their names at all, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it is their impact on the characters that make them memorable. These characters that interact with the main characters have some kind of impact on the story and the main characters. “White Dog” was their beloved family pet that the mother had to kill before they left for these camps. This dog is significant in showing the mothers’ lack of affection and the beginning of her desensitization during the whole camp predicament. The family also had a deep connection with this dog and when he dies or “runs away”, the family seems to begin to fall apart and lie to one another.