Post by Won Young Seo on Nov 12, 2015 4:59:33 GMT
This wasn't actually the first time I came across "Barefoot Gen", I saw the animated movie a couple of years and couldn't stop crying about halfway through. (I highly recommend it.)
"Barefoot Gen" is, in one word, a tragedy. All we come across in the book is loss: the loss of lives, the loss of trust in the government, the loss of youth and innocence, the loss of hope.
It's even more heartwrenching because the volume we read focuses mostly on life before the atomic bomb. We get to see the constant struggle of everyday life and the familial love that makes everything okay. We get to see the petty fights and the naive but well-meaning shenanigans of Shinji and Gen who, though don't really think things through, simply want to help their family and the people around them. We get to see them be happy with the small and mundane things in life and that, for me at least, balances the anger and irritation I feel about the corrupt military and officials.
And one fine and normal day, when everybody is going about their business as usual, everything suddenly ends and everything is lost.
It's worse when you read this remembering that this is essentially Nakazawa's autobiography. He experienced everything and he is Gen. Even though this is a story being told through pictures, this is a real story that actually happened.
But as sad as it is, I'm glad that this "Barefoot Gen" exists because that means the story of Hiroshima and those who lived there during World War II will not be forgotten, in that they won't become statistics in a history textbook but be remembered as actual human beings who lived. And this is important to the outside world as people who can't even begin to fathom what could have been like, as well as the people who live there now who seem to be forgetting the history of their city.
All too often I've read about how students these days have no idea that there even was a bomb and about how Hiroshima's Peace Park is being polluted with noise and jet skis.
The people who lived through the horror of World War II, especially those who lived through the bomb, are passing away but with "Barefoot Gen", the story will remain and that's what's important.
Discussion Question: This story depicts much of Japan's horrors during the war, both to its own citizens and to those from other countries. Considering how the story doesn't hold back in bringing light to Japan's horrible deeds (such as the invading and enslavement of Koreans and the Chinese), do you think this story can last?
"Barefoot Gen" is, in one word, a tragedy. All we come across in the book is loss: the loss of lives, the loss of trust in the government, the loss of youth and innocence, the loss of hope.
It's even more heartwrenching because the volume we read focuses mostly on life before the atomic bomb. We get to see the constant struggle of everyday life and the familial love that makes everything okay. We get to see the petty fights and the naive but well-meaning shenanigans of Shinji and Gen who, though don't really think things through, simply want to help their family and the people around them. We get to see them be happy with the small and mundane things in life and that, for me at least, balances the anger and irritation I feel about the corrupt military and officials.
And one fine and normal day, when everybody is going about their business as usual, everything suddenly ends and everything is lost.
It's worse when you read this remembering that this is essentially Nakazawa's autobiography. He experienced everything and he is Gen. Even though this is a story being told through pictures, this is a real story that actually happened.
But as sad as it is, I'm glad that this "Barefoot Gen" exists because that means the story of Hiroshima and those who lived there during World War II will not be forgotten, in that they won't become statistics in a history textbook but be remembered as actual human beings who lived. And this is important to the outside world as people who can't even begin to fathom what could have been like, as well as the people who live there now who seem to be forgetting the history of their city.
All too often I've read about how students these days have no idea that there even was a bomb and about how Hiroshima's Peace Park is being polluted with noise and jet skis.
The people who lived through the horror of World War II, especially those who lived through the bomb, are passing away but with "Barefoot Gen", the story will remain and that's what's important.
Discussion Question: This story depicts much of Japan's horrors during the war, both to its own citizens and to those from other countries. Considering how the story doesn't hold back in bringing light to Japan's horrible deeds (such as the invading and enslavement of Koreans and the Chinese), do you think this story can last?
