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When The Emperor Was Divine Essay

494 Words2 Pages

In her novel, When the Emperor was Divine, Julie Otsuka explores the relationship between racism and identity. The effects of racism and marginalism can cause a racial group to become their stereotype and lose their individuality. The general physical characteristics of Japanese are portrayed in a negative light in the book; seen as “the face of the enemy”. The family begins to resent their identities and tries to fit in and ends up losing their specialty while also not being normal. By developing the characters of the mother, daughter, father, and son, Otsuka reveals how discrimination can lead to loss of one’s self, often making them fear and worry more frequently. After returning from the internment camp, the children are bombarded with

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