How important is human life when it comes to incidences of ware and the use of weapons of mass destruction? The production of the book Hiroshima by John Hersey was in 1946 and narrated stories of six atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima. During this time, there was a new line of journalism that utilized fictional storytelling to account for actual events. The publication was initially supposed to be articles published separately. However, The New Yorker decided to publish all of it as one article (Nast). After a short while, the publication was printed as a book and highlighted the consequences of utilizing mass weapons on human life. This paper provides a review concerning John Hersey’s accounts of the holocaust on Hiroshima and seeks to provide an understanding of how to handle incidences of war.
In 1945, the United States military attacked Hiroshima with a powerful bomb. The city had a population of 250,000 people, out of which nearly 100,000 died, and another 100,000 were injured (Nast). To provide an account of what occurred, Hersey used six survivors: two religious men, two women, and two doctors. Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Reverend and a community leader, together with a Methodist pastor educated in America, were part of the people injured after the bombing occurred. With the help of Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Mr. Tanimoto continued to help the wounded who were too weak to move. “In a park where Father Kleinsorge and several fellow-priests took refuge, he bound others’ wounds, carried buckets to fight fires…” (Nast para. 51). Among the people they helped was Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, together with her children.
The story further narrated the account of a young clerk, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, who fractured her leg during the blast. She was unable to receive medical help for several weeks, and, as a result, her wounds were infected. Hersey stated that the blast killed nearly half of the doctors in Hiroshima, with the remaining surviving doctors unable to provide help due to their injures (Nast). For example, Dr. Masakazu Fujii could only help himself for a while since he was unable to move properly. Hersey stated that “Dr. Sasaki was the only unhurt doctor in the hospital” (Nast para. 29). However, he barely left his post because he was working beyond his limits to try and save as many lives as possible around him.
Four weeks after the blast, the people of Hiroshima began to rebuild their living conditions; however, they were derailed by an increasing number of patients suffering from radiation sickness. Those affected became anemic, feverish, and nauseated, while others, such as Mrs. Nakamura, saw their hair fall out. In Hersey’s accounts, “a month after the bombing, she came down with radiation sickness; she lost most of her hair and lay in bed for weeks…” (Nast para. 1). Despite these challenges, people in Hiroshima were determined to rebuild their lives. Most people did not fully recover from their injuries and ailments, but they were resolved to improve their situation. In the postscript that was added in the end, Hersey described the lives of the six survivors after 40 years. He explained that they managed to reconstruct their lives and are currently leading a prosperous life. Nevertheless, the author exclaimed that the effects of the bomb were still being felt in Hiroshima.
The book Hiroshima has positively affected my life in terms of decision-making. I aspire to be a manager or a leader in my field of study. These positions generally require sound decision-making skills that may determine a person’s future. The book particularly highlights how careless decision-making can affect the lives of people. The United States did not take into account the amount of damage the bomb would cause. By using an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, close to half of the city’s population was lost. Most of these people were women and children who did not participate in war activities. I believe that it is important to consider different options when trying to solve an issue. The book has shaped my life to think about others before deciding to take a particular action.
Despite telling gruesome narratives of war, the story is hopeful. For instance, Mrs. Nakamura is one of the victims of the blast. She struggled to obtain medication for her injuries and barely got food. Furthermore, weeks after the blast, she started to recover; however, she began to suffer from radiation illness. Despite this, she was adamant and wanted to better her situation. Through the 40 years of her life, Hersey finally describes her life as having changed for the better. I like the story because it provides hope to individuals who are undergoing hardship. The people of Hiroshima went through tough times during the attack, but they are currently living well and have rebuilt their lives.
The book leaves out the accounts of several other survivors in Hiroshima. There are those individuals that suffered more losses than those used in the story. I believe that these individuals do not tell the full story of the aftermath of the atomic bomb incident. Furthermore, it would have been clearer if the author had begun by stating the cause of the war between America and Japan. He should have informed the readers of the importance of attacking Hiroshima. I think that this would have made readers understand how to make better decisions. Furthermore, I believe that other regions in Japan were affected by the atomic bomb. I believe that the book would have had a greater impact if it had covered other regions of the country.
I would recommend this book to other readers, especially those who want to develop as good leaders. According to Gillies, this is a history book that describes what fellow human beings are capable of doing to others in times of need. Langewiesche further affirms that it is a thought-provoking book that students can relate to. Hiroshima provides a different perspective of the world at peace and when it is at war (Langewiesche). Hersey used different stylistic devices to ensure that he explained the impact of war on people. Furthermore, he questions the morality of using weapons of mass destruction on people. The author stated that the people of Hiroshima were still feeling the effects of the bomb. Furthermore, Hersey acknowledged the fact that other countries were still manufacturing such weapons. The result is that there is an impending threat that these weapons may be used in the future. By recommending this book to the future generation of this world, they would be able to learn about the effects of such weapons.
What I have learned from the book Hiroshima is that how people survive in times of crisis is the most important aspect of life. The narrative provides an account of how different people react to rebuilding their lives. For instance, Dr. Fujii decided to pursue activities that were more pleasurable at the expense of his family. In some sense, this can be described as survival because he manages to avoid radiation sickness, thereby leading a healthy life. I have learned that even when faced with death and destruction, the human spirit is unbreakable. The book demonstrates how life returns to normal in the city of Hiroshima. Even when faced with different illnesses as a result of the bomb, people insist on regaining their daily livelihood.
Other than the theme of survival, the book describes the subject of the war on civilians. Currently, countries are experiencing internal wrangles, and this has negatively impacted the people. As a result, most of them seek asylum in other countries, and this is usually a hard task. By dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, America declared total war on the civilians. In other words, everyone was targeted by the bomb, including non-civilians. For instance, Father Kleinsorge was a German who changed his citizenship to being Japanese. Despite this, he stated that the most important moment of his life was his survival of the atomic bomb. Thus, war has a life-long impact on individuals, with most people being forced to change their ways of life after the bomb.
Hiroshima by John Hersey is a narrative that provides an account of how people survived and the impact of war on people. The book tells stories of six different survivors and how they managed to overcome their situation. Further, it highlights the implications of making careless decisions without considering the impact it would have on other people. Additionally, this book provides a true account of how weapons of mass destruction can negatively affect people. Despite these themes, the book is hopeful because it further shows how individuals recover and rebuild their lives. The narratives demonstrate that in moments of adversity, it is within human nature to try and survive.
Works Cited
Gillies, Craille M. “Hiroshima by John Hersey – Survivors’ Stories Carry Weight of History.” The Guardian, 2019, Web.
Langewiesche, William. “The Reporter Who Told the World About the Bomb (Published 2020).” The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos, 2020, Web.
Nast, Condé. “Hiroshima: The Aftermath.” The New Yorker, 985, Web.