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Theme Statement- Devotion can make-or-break a person in difficult situations
Paul (Nobuo) Tatsuguchi has a love for America, but is devoted to his country. He enlists in the Japanese Imperial Army where ideologies are forced upon him. Slowly, Paul's personality changes after he is in Attu -
Tatsuguchi becomes a medical resident in training at White Memorial Hospital
The story begins when he lives in America. This shows his love for America and how his cultures are different from the typical Japanese man. -
Paul and Taeko have a child
Paul and Taeko moved to Japan to save his sister, but in that time they have a child. They wanted their child to grow up with Japanese traditions, so this causes them to stay in Japan. -
Paul is Drafted into the Imperial Army
Due to the death of Paul's father, he was no longer considered upper class, meaning that he could no longer avoid being drafted into the Imperial Army. This is the largest turning point in the story. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
This is the point in which Paul begins to feel uneasy about the war. His loyalties are questioned in the Imperial Army. -
The Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces return to Attu
Nobuo (Paul) arrives on Attu for a war against the United States. The country that made him a surgeon, is now his enemy. -
Japanese Military Indoctrination
Nobuo is surrounded by anti-Americanism soldiers. He begins to describe the United States as "the enemy" and denounces a United States broadcast in Japanese as "all propaganda." -
Japanese without a re-supply for months
Nobuo Tatsuguchi confronted his worst fear: The country he loved was preparing to attack him. This is the point in which Nobuo questions if he can stay true both his faith and his country. -
The Death of Paul Nobuo Tatsuguchi
After months of war, Attu had been lost, and there were no survivors. Nobuo Tatsuguchi had been dead nearly three months before anyone told Taeko. Nobuo's devotion for his country, led to his death.
