Hall 1

Drew Hall

Mr. Smith

H 11 ELA

18 March 2024

Trauma in Communication within Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

When looking back on World War II, the United States is often seen as a savior from the

oppression of the Axis Powers. However, while American troops fought this oppression over in

Europe, the American government was relocating and interning thousands of Japanese

Americans back home. In the book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, these

events are covered through the perspective of a Chinese American boy named Henry, and his

relationship with a Japanese American girl named Keiko. Being the first generation of his family

that fluently speaks English, he deals with the issue of a communication barrier throughout the

story. This helps to develop a major theme present in the book, being communication and its

effect on peoples’ relationships. Through the communication between different characters, more

is revealed about them, especially in relation to events in their past. Various characters in the

book demonstrate that their past trauma is present in the way that they communicate; however,

this trauma can be overcome through positive communication with others.

Henry's father clearly displays anti-Japanese views during many of his interactions

throughout the book, which serves as a reflection of the trauma that he faced from the Japanese

invasion of China. While attempting to get Henry to understand his father’s past, Henry’s mother

explains, “Where your father comes from, it was nothing but war. War with Japan. They invaded

northern China, killing many, many people. Not soldiers but women and children, the old and the

sick. Your father, he grew up this way. He saw this happen to his own family” (Ford). Henry’s
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father does not refer to it himself, presumably as a way to avoid the bad memories, but the way

that Henry’s mother describes his past makes it clear that it had an intense effect on him. By

specifically emphasizing that there was “nothing but war” back where Henry’s father lived,

Henry’s mother demonstrates how much it dominated his life, and at the time, his childhood. She

also illustrates the severity of the Japanese invasion by stating how they would kill anyone they

could, including “women and children, the old and the sick”. This intense description gives a

picture of what Henry’s father really had to go through, and therefore the lasting traumatic

impact that it would leave on him. How Henry’s mother talks about Henry’s father’s experience

with war also contrasts with that of Henry, who has grown up during war, but under much

different circumstances, with no concept of the horrors of war that his father likely understands.

The differing perspectives of Henry and his father come to a head later in the book, when Henry

finally directly confronts his father about his Japanese American friend Keiko. Attempting to

explain his friendship with her, Henry angrily states, “She’s not the enemy, … you don’t even

know her. You’ve never met her” to which his father responds, “I don't need to—she's Japanese!”

(Ford). Henry clearly makes a valid argument by saying that his father cannot make a judgment

about Keiko without really knowing anything about her. His father’s reply to this that “she’s

Japanese” demonstrates his prejudice against people of Japanese descent, as he immediately

views Keiko as an enemy simply because of her heritage. Furthermore, Keiko, as a Japanese

American, is barely even connected to her Japanese ancestry, repeatedly identifying as American

over Japanese. Henry’s father’s unfair beliefs can be somewhat explained by his past in China.

According to Henry’s mother’s description of his history, he seemed to have experienced

significant trauma as a child from the Japanese invasion of China. Henry’s father likely could

have associated these traumatic experiences with the invading Japanese military, and, by
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extension, Japan as a whole. This association between Japan and his past trauma would affect the

way that he viewed things related to Japan, including a more negative outlook on Japanese

people. Therefore, Henry’s father’s prejudice against Japanese people that is visible within his

communication is, to some degree, a reflection of his traumatic past experiences in China. Within

the book, he never really lets go of these beliefs, demonstrating that he was unable to overcome

his trauma.

Additionally, the way that Henry’s friend Sheldon communicates with unfamiliar white

people reflects his traumatic past experiences as a black person in the South. After Keiko and her

family are moved into an internment camp in Idaho, Sheldon offers to go on a trip to the camp

with Henry so he is able to see her again. While in Walla Walla, a town in Idaho near the

internment camp, they run into a white man who asks, “You two aren’t from around here are

you?”, to which Sheldon replies, “No sir, we’re just passing through. In fact, we’re heading back

to our bus right now” (Ford). The question that the man asks is not necessarily positive or

negative in tone, simply recognizing that Sheldon and Henry stand out in the town. However, the

way that Sheldon responds, especially by claiming that they were already “heading back”, when

they were actually looking for something to eat, establishes a protective and non-confrontational

tone. His quick switch to going back to their bus could even be seen as a signal to Henry that

they should start moving back away from town. Sheldon’s use of this non-confrontational tone

and possible signaling to Henry demonstrate that he is trying to get away from the man who

approached them with minimal interaction. His communication during this interaction can be

explained by looking at what information is provided about his background. During the same trip

in Idaho, narration from Henry’s perspective reads, “Sheldon wasn't originally from Seattle; he'd

grown up in Tacoma but was born in Alabama. His parents had left the South when he was five
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or six, and evidently he'd seen enough to never want to return” (Ford). Similarly to Henry’s

father, Sheldon experienced traumatic events as a child that created a negative association with a

group of people. Sheldon having “seen enough” of the South at five years old means that it must

have created a very strong, likely traumatic impression on him, which was enough to make him

never want to go back. Given the political climate of the South in the 1940s, it is very likely that

what Sheldon had “seen enough” of was racism coming from white people. Having such a strong

impression of racism from white people in the South, it seems reasonable that he would be wary

of unknown white people, especially in new places that he is also not familiar with. When

approached by the white man in Walla Walla, Sheldon was affected by his past trauma with

racism, causing him to communicate in a highly non-confrontational manner. However, unlike

Henry’s father who ended up targeting Japanese people with aggression, Sheldon’s behavior

came almost entirely from a place of protection, both for himself and Henry. Due to his less

outright negative outlook on white people, Sheldon was able to overcome some of his past

trauma. Following his non-confrontational response to the man in Walla Walla, the man says,

“Well, since you've come all the way down, might as well go on in and grab a cup of something

warm … Welcome to Walla Walla, and I hope you come back and see us again” (Ford).

The man’s reply to Sheldon takes on a much more friendly tone, specifically stating that he and

Henry are welcome in the coffee shop they were going to. By receiving a clearly positive and

inviting response from the white man, Sheldon is able to overcome his past experiences and

become more relaxed in Walla Walla. Henry and Sheldon end up getting a meal in the coffee

shop and eventually getting a ride from strangers to the internment camp, illustrating Sheldon’s

increased level of comfort.

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Much like his father and Sheldon, Henry’s communication, or lack thereof, also serves as

a reflection of his past traumatic experiences, in his case being his lost history with Keiko. While

much of the book takes place in the 1940s when Henry is around twelve years old, a parallel plot

line is followed in the 1980s, covering Henry as a man in his fifties. In this other plot line, Henry

has seemingly long moved past Keiko and is seen mourning the death of his wife, Ethel, while

connecting with his son, Marty. When Marty is first introducing Henry to his fiancée, Samantha,

Henry is pruning an ume tree in his backyard. Samantha, taking an interest in the tree, mentions,

“Marty told me that tree has a special meaning for you. That it's a symbol of some kind” to

which Henry answers, “It is, … Ume flowers are used as decoration during Chinese New Year.

It's also the symbol of the ancient city of Nanjing and now the national flower of all of China”.

Following the interaction, the narration reads, “Marty stood up partway and offered a mock

salute” (Ford). While the facts that Henry provides about the ume tree are true, he is still

intentionally leaving out important details related to his history with the tree. Henry later reveals

that the tree was taken from a park in Japantown when Marty was born, likely symbolic of

Henry’s connection to Japantown through Keiko. By only focusing on the details related to the

tree’s Chinese significance, he avoids talking about his history with Japantown, and, by

extension, Keiko. Furthermore, Marty’s reaction to Henry’s details on the tree is described as a

“mock salute”, making fun of his father for what he believes to be Chinese nationalism. Marty

thinking that Henry would share the Chinese nationalist views that Henry’s father held

demonstrates an even bigger absence of communication on Henry’s part. During the other plot

line with younger Henry, it is very clear that he is opposed to his father’s rules imposed based on

his Chinese nationalism, especially ones that make it harder for him to be with Keiko. The fact

that Marty could still believe Henry associates with Chinese nationalism means that Henry
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seemingly neglected to share anything about his history with Keiko and the Japanese evacuation.

By the end of younger Henry’s plot line, Henry finally declares his love for Keiko, but then

slowly loses contact with her, never truly resolving or letting go of their relationship. This lost

relationship of someone he loved would have a deep emotional impact on Henry, which is further

evidenced by his continual searching for Keiko’s belongings many years later in the other plot

line. Unlike Sheldon and Henry’s father, who experienced trauma in the form of mistreatment

from others, Henry experienced trauma in the form of loss. Henry purposely avoiding having to

mention his history with Keiko, even to his own son, is a reflection of this loss based trauma.

However, similarly to Sheldon, Henry is eventually able to overcome his trauma, which he does

through the help of his son. Throughout the plot line with older Henry, he grows closer to Marty

and Samantha as he finally begins to share his history with Keiko. Near the end of the book,

Henry returns home from an outing to randomly find his suit laid out on his bed, with a ticket to

New York City in one of the pockets. Marty comes into his room and explains, “You've done

everything for me, and now it's my turn to do something for you … I found her, Pops. I know

you were always loyal to Mom, and that you'd never do this for yourself so I did it for you”

(Ford). After being able to build his relationship with his son through positive communication

about his past, Marty gives Henry the opportunity to visit Keiko, who he simply refers to as

“her” within the passage. Marty knowing that his father will immediately understand who “her”

is demonstrates Henry’s new communication with him, as Marty has to know how deeply

connected his father still is to Keiko in order to know he will understand. Henry is ultimately

able to reconnect with Keiko, something that he was too afraid to do previously, because of the

help that Marty provides in locating her and getting a plane ticket. Henry reconnecting with her
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demonstrates him overcoming the trauma related to losing his relationship with her, which was

only possible through the communication that he had with his son.

In Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, the way that certain characters communicate

serves as a reflection of their past traumatic experiences. Despite this, through positive

communication with other characters, they are capable of overcoming their past trauma. Henry’s

dad being prejudiced against Japanese people because of his experiences in China, Sheldon

avoiding confrontation with unknown white people because of his experiences in the South, and

Henry avoiding talking about his past because of losing his relationship with Keiko are all

examples of this within the book. As demonstrated in this story, communication can have many

layers and represent many different things when looked at in different ways. Communication and

its complexity will continue to be analyzed, both in real life as well as in media, where it has the

possibility to reflect a practically endless amount of different ideas, traits, or values.

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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Essay Rubric
Skill N Foundational Proficient Advanced
Y

Thesis Establishes References the Effectively

a basic prompt makes a claim
claim Makes a claim incorporating a
about the text complex idea;
Somewhat contrast, cause
developed and effect, etc.
through the essay Developed
throughout the
essay

Claims Makes a Previous (and) Previous (and)

statement Somewhat Considers the
that requires considers the thesis of the
evidence to thesis paper
support Effective use of
transition
words/phrases

Evidence Some Includes multiple Includes a

evidence pieces of variety of
relates to evidence/ specific,
the thesis examples that meaningful, and
clearly relate to well-chosen
the thesis and evidence that
individual claims relates to the
Includes multiple thesis
pieces of
evidence in each
body paragraph

Analysis Somewhat Explains how Explains

explains evidence well-selected
how supports topic points of
evidence sentence of comparison
supports individual among
topic paragraphs evidence and
sentence Explains how their connection
and thesis evidence to the thesis
supports the Effective use of
thesis of the close-reads
essay
Some indication
of close-reads +
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weaving quotes

MLA Format Some elements missing No errors in MLA format

or some errors in MLA
format

Conventions Shows Most quotes are All quotes are

evidence of correctly correctly
basic integrated integrated
proofreadin Follows essay Shows evidence
g organization of careful
Shows evidence proofreading
of proofreading

Fluency Simple use Demonstrates Strong use of of

of use of grade level vocabulary,
vocabulary vocabulary, diction,
Simple diction, sentence sentence
sentence structures structures
structures Accurate use of
text specific
vocabulary