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Barefoot Gen Analysis

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Just as it takes many lines of ink to form a picture and many images in a distinct order to create a story, it takes many personal accounts and internal elements of consciousness exhibited simultaneously to even paint an unadulterated portrait of history. Along those lines, the author of Barefoot Gen, Keiji Nakazawa, strives to encapsulate the true magnitude of devastation that World War II and the dropping of the atomic bomb unleashed. To accomplish the arduous task of conveying complex mix of emotions to his readers and printing the pain and despair that befell victims of Hiroshima, the author uses externalization through simplistic, yet fervent artwork. Through the vehement waltz between black and white that takes place in the surroundings of the …show more content…

In a scene where Kimie faints from fatigue and malnutrition, the author depicts darkness violently attacking the light space around her (Nakazawa, 183). The style paints a very chaotic atmosphere, representing the cataclysmic intrusion of feelings of worry, shock, and horror as the rest of her family reacts to the incident. The frame is soon followed by a larger frame depicting the horror of the moment as Mr. Nakaoka clutches the semiconscious body of Kimie and the dazed children gather around. In the background, Nakazawa sketches thick wisps of darkness encroaching on the family, ones he usually used for clouds of ash and smoke in scenes portraying the aftermath of the air raids. The effect illustrates how the thought of losing one’s family members was just as devastating as surviving being a sole survivor of air raid. People did not have to witness the place that they called home smoldering away and around them, seeing charred figures of people they used to know in order to be categorized as a victim of war. Without the use of words, Nakazawa expertly transmits the hidden feelings to the

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