Japanese Internment and The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet   Annmicha Blugh College

As a historical novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet[1] alludes to many occurrences, people, places, government acts, and organizations confirming the novel’s veracity by employing history. The book covers the period 1941-1986, a period of over forty years. During this time, Henry witnesses the tragedy of World War II, the tensions between Chinese and Japanese, the American and Asians. His eyes become open to racial prejudice and naked hate. The Japanese Internment highlights the tensions. At first, as a young pre-teen of only 12, he little understands the repercussions of falling in love with a Keiko, a Japanese girl. However, time never stops them from ultimately reuniting with one another after Ethel’s death. Historical accuracy is indispensable in constructing a novel where the author wants to make a story realistic and therefore believable. This technique is called verisimilitude, where a strong semblance of truth is present in the narrative. Some time references correctly applied are the Pearl Harbor Attack (1941), Executive Order 9066 (1942), Executive Order 9102 (1942), establishment of the Republic of China (1912), and Japanese Invasion of Manchuria (1931). These allusions assist in time location and...