In "Farewell to Manzanar," the Wakatsuki family was bussed to the Manzanar Internment Camp. They were required to move after the attack on Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt's signing of Executive Order 9066.
Prior to the move, the family lived in Ocean Park, California, and faced little discrimination. However, after Pearl Harbor, Mr. Wakatsuki is arrested and taken to an interrogation camp in North Dakota. The remaining family moves to Terminal Island, where other Japanese are living before they are bussed to Manzanar.
Manzanar is located in the Owens Valley of California. The camp is situated between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the White-Inyo Mountain Range. During the time of internment, this area is relatively uninhabitable. It once used to be a lush green area. The passage reads, "In Spanish, Manzanar means 'apple orchard.' Great stretches of Owens Valley were once green with orchards and alfalfa fields" (Houston 95). However, due to the redirection of water to Los Angeles, it is now like a desert.
The Wakatsukis' new home is less of a suburban-style street and more of a military camp. There are barracks instead of houses and a mess hall instead of kitchens. The family struggles to adjust but makes do with each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment