Effects Of Hiroshima Bombing

On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima by the United states. “Hiroshima,” a book written by John Hersey, details the lives of Hibakusha (Translated to English meaning “explosion-affected persons”) before, during, and after the bombings. In the book Hiroshima, the aftermath of the bombings from the perspective of the Hibakusha was recorded 40 years in response to the initial devastation.
Hersey writes, “A surprising number of the people of Hiroshima remained more or less indifferent about the ethics of using the bomb” (89). The explosion can be looked at in a number of different ways. Nakamura, a local Hibakusha, noted her opinion on the use of the bomb as “It was war and we had to expect it.” (89). Most thought that the atomic bomb was too extreme and extensive for war. Father Siemes stated to the Holy See in Rome, “Some of us consider the bomb in the same category as poison gas and were against its use on a civilian population.” Most of the victims of this tragedy were civilians of a population, people who had no relation to the conflict of politics. The weeks following the bombings, people started to
Dr. Tanimoto, a hard working Methodist pastor, was ashamed that he was not wounded from the bombings. He feels that no human being should go through a torture as great as this, he doesn’t think he is better than anyone else, so why shouldn’t he share the pain? The roots of Japanese culture say that every person should be mindful of the other person’s situation. His drive to accomplish this is derived from his feeling of commitment towards Japanese culture. Mr. Tanimoto also feels that he has not been as faithful to Japanese culture because of his connections to the Americas, which explains his newfound drive to push for absolute loyalty. Some were ashamed for being physically injured in public because of the fact that it showed