Hiroshima Lesson Plan

What do we learn about Japanese society in the first chapter?

The first chapter of the novel gives us a glimpse into both general Japanese culture and wartime culture. We learn for example, that Japanese hospital patients are usually accompanied by a relative who comes in and lives in the hospital, acting as a sort of personal nurse. We also see that families are very tightly knit, with younger, unmarried family members living at home and helping with household responsibilities, like Miss Sasaki.

In terms of wartime Japan, we can see how the sense of community is very important. As Mrs. Nakamura notes, her neighbor is voluntarily tearing down part of his house for a fire...