Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Quotes

Jamie Ford’s novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, displays the lasting effects of the less mentioned details of WWII. Executive Orders 9102 and 9066 altered the lives of many loyal citizens, especially people of Japanese descent and those near to them. Countless people, like the Okabes, lost their homes and belongings as they were unfairly sent away to internment camps. Numerous of their belongings remain unclaimed in places like the Panama Hotel in Seattle as people attempt to forget their inhumane treatment during this time. Many residents of the United States, such as Mr. Lee, unfortunately agreed with this treatment. Henry Lee, the protagonist, has many relationships, specifically with his father, Marty, and Keiko, that are

Early on in the novel, it is revealed that Henry’s father “hated the Japanese” (14) whereas Henry’s closest friend is Japanese American. Although Mr. Lee did not know Keiko, he already felt a sense of hatred toward her. Henry’s mother discloses Mr. Lee’s intent as explained in the following passage:

“Where your father comes from, it was nothing but war. War with Japan. They invaded Northern China, killing many, many people. Not soldiers but women and children, the old and the sick. Your father, he grew up this way. He saw this happen to his own family…Your father came here, as an orphan, but he never forgot who he was, where he came from. Never forgot about his home.”

“This is his home now,” Henry

As his first love, she teaches Henry what it means to accept someone for who they truly are, regardless of their race. Henry knew his parents would not approve of her, but he had no idea what Keiko’s parents would think of him. He wondered, “Were her parents that different? What could they possibly think of him?” (113). Even though her parents took a liking to Henry, his relationship with Keiko caused his own parents to disown him. Henry wrote to Keiko frequently after she was sent away, but eventually stopped hearing back from her. He, after quite some time, moved on and decided to marry Ethel. As his father’s death was near, Henry discovered that his father had been stopping the letters. He realized that it was not Keiko’s fault and wanted “To tell her that it was his father” (264). But he never told her, and instead moved on with his relationship with Ethel. It is safe to say that Keiko never left Henry’s mind or heart, which heavily influenced the amount of intimacy he could have in any other