Women
Women, whether it is the narrator or the many female characters within the book, are a constant and thus most abundantly featured image in the narrative. In fact, save for a Stephen, Mark, and Uncle Isamu, there is a noticeable lack of masculine presence.
Isolation
Characters in the novel are isolated either literally, as in the case when the Nakane family is moved into an encampment for Japanese migrants because they’re under suspicion---just because they’re Japanese. They are also isolated in a cultural or social sense as they are never fully allowed to integrate into Canadian society.
Otherness
Related to the theme of isolation is the theme of otherness, or in this case the anthropological practice of Othering where a more established social group excludes persons who do not fit the norm of the dominant social group--particularly in the context of racism and post-war orientalism. The Nakane family are treated as others, constantly ostracized and ridiculed for various reasons; most of which make absolutely no sense. It wasn’t until Stephen won a major award for his music that they community at large began to accept them and even then it was only because Stephen served more as a trophy rather than out of genuine acceptance.
Stoic Endurance
There are several narratives in the novel describing members of the Nakane family coping with loneliness, bullying, and racial discrimination with nothing more than a stiff upper lip and the gentle urging of their elders to endure. Stoic endurance of both emotional turmoil, or in some cases, physical abuse, such as in the case of Stephen, abound in the novel. Perhaps it is more of a cultural coping mechanism but for the Nakane family it is more than that, it practically becomes their way of life, especially during the initial years of their migration to Canada.
Music
Many milestones within the Nakane Family are marked by the presence of music. In fact, music becomes almost symbolic of their sense of normalcy. Music is present in Japan while the family is doing well prior to the breakout of the war. When aggressions start and the family makes a hasty retreat to Canada, the household falls eerily silent as the music that their family was once know for suddenly stops. Once they’re able to settle into their new lives as Canadians though, music begins to fill their lives once more.
