This is a book report about the novel When the Emperor Was Divine written by Julie Otsuka. When the Emperor Was Divine is a short novel about a Japanese-American family that goes to the internment camps during World War Two. It is told from a mostly omniscient point of view and provides a descriptive narrative on the lives of the nameless mother, son, daughter, and father. The namelessness of the characters provides a lot to the novel. Despite the family's citizenship, they are still nobody to the government. This trait also makes it easier for readers to relate to them. The character development was deeply integrated into the novel.
As previously mentioned, the character development is especially good in this novel. One way it can be seen is in the actions and thoughts of the characters. Otsuka's use of descriptive language really paints a picture for the readers. One example of this strong character development is the girl. At the beginning, she seems like a typical pre-teen. She is shown as young and naïve. She likes "boys and black licorice and Dorothy Lamour." She is carefree. By the end of the story, she is very down-to-earth, but there…show more content… The family together shapes up to be the protagonist. For each chapter, Julie Otsuka chooses one of the family members' lives to narrate on. At the end of the novel, the children narrate together as "we" and then the father provides his confession to the government. All of the family members personal stories shape and affect them as a whole. The mother provides for her children and husband, the girl deals with facing reality and coming of age, the boy struggles with his father being gone, and the father has to try his best to remain a part of the family after his experience in prison. Together they support and help each other through the war. This is a good example of how each character in the story is important and how their actions affect everyone
