Over one hundred thousand people died, and the six survivors wondered how lucky they were to remain alive. In the book Hiroshima, John Hersey narrates the events of the Hiroshima bomb, which was dropped on Japan by the American Army. John was an American writer who wrote the book to show Japan’s political or national divide in response to the bombing and how people came together as a community to respond to it. By the time the book was first published in 1946, John was 32 years old and had emerged as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for writing a novel covering World War II. The author doubted that the US had used media propaganda to cover the human suffering caused by the Atomic bomb that they dropped on Hiroshima. Most of the US media showed destroyed houses, but they did not bring a clear implication of the human suffering that had occurred. Thus, a few months after the bomb, the author traveled to Japan to discuss the stories regarding the bombs. This study will highlight the main themes in the book and provide a personal response to the book.
Summary of the book
The US army dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, which had enormous power. A city with over 250,000 people was shuttered, leaving 100,000 people dead and 100,000 others injured (McKinney et al. 158). The book Hiroshima traces some of the survivors of the war and lists two women, two religious people, and two doctors who narrate the events from a few hours before the bomb was dropped up to a few months after the bomb.
Mr. Kiyoshi Tinamito was a reverent in Hiroshima, American educated Methodist pastor and a community leader. During the explosion, he was lucky to be uninjured, and as the fire spread across the city, he aided people to get to safety outside the city (McKinney et al. 160). With the help of his father, Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Tinamito started evacuating people who needed help, consoling those who were wounded, and giving water to those whom the radiation of the bomb had highly dehydrated. Many injured persons were unable to walk, and therefore, he took the role of moving their way from the approaching fire. One of the people that he vividly remembers is Mrs. Nakamura, who had been severely injured with her children. He took them to a neighboring school to avoid the whirlwind and encroaching river tide from sweeping them away.
The other person interviewed was Miss Sasaki Toshiko, who had a leg fracture after the blast. She stayed for a period of weeks without any medical help because the atomic bomb had killed almost half of the population, and the remaining were injured, so there was no one to take care of them (Hersey 46-55). Most of the doctors who survived could not help the general population, which shows the bomb’s devastating effect on the city’s healthcare provision. When healthcare providers cannot provide services during such a catastrophic event, many people whose lives could be saved are likely to die. An example is Dr. Fujii Masakazu, who was badly injured during the bombing and could not help anyone with medical care except himself (Hersey 44-45). This shows the impact bombing has on the healthcare sector.
The author went further to explore the aftermath of the bombing to find the underlying effects of the bomb on citizens. When the city begins to rebuild a few weeks later, people start experiencing the effects of radiation, including feeling nauseated, becoming anemic, and having fever. “Many people who did not die right away came down with nausea, headache, diarrhea, malaise, and fever, which lasted several days” (Hersey 113). It was unclear whether the cause of these symptoms was radiation or nervous shock which resulted from the blast. As much as the city tried to return to normal, this was not possible due to the significant effects of the bombing.
Review of the book
This book significantly impacts the reader because it provides first-hand experience of the immediate effect of the atomic bomb. It provides a detailed outline of how the bombing happened, the general reaction of the people, and how the city was disorganized. For instance, Mrs. Nakamura narrates, “Timbers fell around her as she landed, and a shower of tiles pommelled her; everything became dark, for she was buried. The debris did not cover her deeply. She rose up and freed herself. She heard a child cry, Mother, help me! and saw her youngest—Myeko, the five-year-old—buried up to her breast and unable to move” (Hersey 98). Such narrations help the reader to get a mental picture of how fast the lives of people in Hiroshima changed after the bomb was dropped. Thus, the book allows the reader to get the emotions of the scene when the bomb exploded.
I liked reading the book because it explains almost everything that happened before, during, and after the bombing. Interviewing the survivors provided detailed experience of the people; however, one thing that I feel it missed was highlighting how the surrounding cities were affected by the Atomic bomb. Although much impact was on Hiroshima, the surrounding cities must have had a surge in the number of admitted patients and the severity of their injuries (McKinney et al. 161). In addition, the book fails to highlight the government’s situation immediately when the explosion happened. They should have interviewed some of the high government officials to get the pressure that had been placed on them. However, the book generally provides a good account of the victims and the impact of the bombing on the general city travelers. This implies that I would recommend the book to other people who would love to know the devastating effects of war.
This book has helped me learn how war, especially the atomic bomb, affected the Japanese people. I learned the significant impact of a bomb, including destroying the city, killing many people, and bringing rains, windstorms, and darkness all over Hiroshima (McKinney et al. 158). It led to the healthcare system’s overburdening and a shortage of emergency medication that could be used to treat the patients. However, one of the notable effects of the bomb was how it helped unite society in general. People had to put their differences aside and work together to save the survivors. Due to the un-unified national or political response, the city’s residents had to collaborate as a community and help each other (McKinney et al. 161). The book states, “One feeling they did seem to share, however, was a curious kind of elated community spirit… a pride in the way they and their fellow-survivors had stood up to a dreadful ordeal” (Hersey 35). Another evident theme was the general stoicism of the Japanese people. Despite their suffering and the impact that the bomb brought on them, they did not complain. This shows their commitment and loyalty to their government and sovereignty.
I like the narrative style the author used to write the book. He has presented the people’s experiences without getting himself in the story, making it a masterpiece and trustable. In addition, the author has used quotations and words from the narrators to emphasize the various points he is expressing. Direct quotations help the audience picture themselves in the situation and are emotionally attached to the story. For instance, when children cry for help, he narrates it and writes how they asked for help to ensure the reader can imagine themselves in the story. The author generally has a consistent and well-arranged style of expressing the narrators without altering their message.
Most people have found the book helpful, too, because, according to a comment from one of the reviews, it helps to open people’s eyes to humanity. I find this very true because the book narrates how people helped each other after the atomic bomb exploded. In addition, it shows the ugly side of war and the lack of humanity (Hafner). Another review states that the book provides gruesome details on the bombing, making it interesting and unique (Hafner). I agree with this review because the book highlights minor details of the bombing, which might be ignored by mainstream media but significantly impact society. For instance, the cries of the children asking for help, the dehydration of the people, and how the blast affected their later lives.
Conclusion
The book Hiroshima by John Hersey provides detailed information on the events before, during, and after the atomic bomb. The US army dropped the bomb, killing over 100,000 people and injuring 100,000 more. The book comprises six narrators: two women, two religious leaders, and two healthcare providers. It covers the main events and gives first-hand data from people in Hiroshima during the blast. The main interesting thing about the book is that it provides well a mental image of how the situation was. Although it leaves some aspects, such as how the neighbouring cities were affected by the blast, it covers most of the information on how the victims were affected. In addition, it brings out three important themes, including the power of a bomb, the unity of the community after the bombing, and the stoicism of the Japanese people. The author used a narrative style to avoid indulging himself in the story so that he could provide first-hand information on the people who were affected. This book is a masterpiece, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get unbiased information on the Hiroshima bombing.
Works Cited
Hafner, Katie. “The Reporter Who Revealed the Truth about Hiroshima.” Washington Post, Web.
Hersey, John. Hiroshima: John Hersey. Vintage, Cop, 1985.
McKinney, Katherine E., et al. “Why the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima Would Be Illegal Today.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, vol. 76, no. 4, July 2020, pp. 157–65, Web.