The concept of time and space can be used by a writer to help establish the setting and

atmosphere without having to do it with words. Many times, writers call upon a reader's

prior knowledge to certain places to achieve this. Joan Didion uses the concept of time

and space to show readers what she thinks of the places she writes about. Didion’s

essay, “Letter from Paradise,” shows what Didion’s thinks about Hawaii and what

paradise looks like. Didion wrote this essay years after World War 2, reflecting on how

the war has shaped Hawaii’s culture and growth. She mentions several places on the

island which played a significant role in the war and its aftermath. She first writes about

visiting Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial. Didion gets upset at the fact that other

tourists seem to forget the purpose of the tour, as they seem to be in a joyous mood

when they are visiting a place where hundreds of men died. A place like Pearl Harbor

should be remembered and visitors should show much respect for men lost their lives

there. Didion then visits Punchbowl and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

At the time of her visit, she reflects on the countless number of young men who are laid

to rest there as well as the many new graves she sees. Being that she is writing near

the time of the Vietnam war, Didion observes the view from the top of Punchbowl to

Hotel Street. Hotel Street, which plays a significant role in Hawaii’s war involvement is

full of men coming a going to war during the time of Didion’s visit. Didion says that

“sooner or later they all got down to Hotel Street,” to imply that it is the gateway to war.

As the street leads to the port, every man who goes to war comes through Hotel Street.

However, Didion recognizes the fact that because Hotel Street is only a gateway to war,

not war itself, sailors come there to get “drunk because they are no longer in Des
Moines and not yet in Danang.” In a way, coming to Hotel Street serves as a break for

sailors before and after tough times. Didion also reflects on Hawaii’s economy and

economic growth in terms of war. By comparing the economy from two different time

periods, before and after WW2, Didion shows how dependent Hawaii is on wars. When

conducting interviews, Didion finds that “every Honolulu conversation refers back to

war.” At the time of her investigation, this may have been the case, as that generation

still has a vivid memory of what the war was like. However, as society has moved on

and the WW2 generation is slowly dying, is Didion’s statement still valid? This was a

good essay to reflect on due to the fact that I live in Hawaii and have better knowledge

on the places Didion refers to. At the time of her writing this essay, much of what she

says about Hawaii’s culture was correct. However, because time has moved on and

younger generations do not have the same understanding of war and how it influenced

life in the islands, it is harder for a person such as myself to see what Didion sees.