When The Emperor Was Divine

During a war situation, a person's loyalty to a country may vary depending on the circumstances as seen in both the film Empire of the Sun by Steven Spielberg and the novel When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka. On multiple occasions, Jamie, the main character in Empire of the Sun, displays loyalty to a country that the audience may not expect. In the novel When the Emperor was Divine, there are also many instances where an individual displays loyalty to a country the audience may not expect. In both the novel and the film, there are characters that are confused by the war situation, directing their loyalty towards a country that the audience may not expect. After being split up with his family during the evacuation of his town, Jamie
One instance of when a character showed unexpected loyalty is when the boy is walking around the camp searching for seashells and old indian arrowheads; as he passes under the guard tower, his inclination to mention the Emperor's name overwhelms his self control. "But sometimes it slipped out anyway. 'Hirohito, Hirohito Hirohito'. He said it quietly. Quickly. He whispered it" (84). The young boy reciting the Japanese Emperor's name multiple times displays his loyalty to Japan and the compassion he has for the Emperor— this is surprising because, besides the new racial discrimination, the boy lives a great life in the United States. Another example of unexpected loyalty in the camp is not of the boy, but of a neighbor to the boy and his family. As the boy is explaining the reoccurring scenarios of the nights and mornings inside the camp, he mentions his neighbor. “And in the morning, at sunrise, coming from the other side of the wall, the sound of the man next door chanting. 'Kokyo ni taishite keirei.' Salute to the Imperial Palace" (126). This man's salute the Imperial Palace is an example of unexpected loyalty during a war situation because, although the man may be of Japanese descent, he is an American citizen, and his country is at