Out of the family I believe the boy is the only who survived physically and mentally. Even though he was the youngest one he thought very mature for his age, he didn’t isolate himself like the mother or act immature like his sister. He developed a clear sense of reality, observing the mother and sister’s behavior changing as time passed by. It was clear that the boy was the outlet for the mother and sister who vent to him for emotional support. I feel that they both did that because he was so young that he wouldn’t judge or critique them. He took on the role of his father lending guidance and reinsurance.
The boy mentally grew stronger by being positive and optimistic throughout the time in the camp, never getting caught up in the shame, guilt, or hate. He kept reminding himself of who he was and where he came from, for instance, “One evening, before he went to bed, he wrote his name in the dust across the top of the table. All through the night, while he slept, more dust blew through the walls. By morning his name was gone.” (pg64) Even though his name was gone there was a sense of existence. Otsuka illustrating that scene really made me want to know the name of the boy, and just like the Japanese Internment Camps it was left unsaid.
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