Under the Blood Red Sun

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1994

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-9

Chapters 10-14

Chapters 15-18

Chapter 19-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Background

Authorial Context: Graham Salisbury

Content Warning: This section features depictions of racism and xenophobia, the imprisonment of Japanese Americans, wartime distress and anxiety, and family separation.

Graham Salisbury, an American writer, artist, and musician, has made a lasting impact on literature, particularly in his emphasis on Hawaii—a theme connected to his family’s rich regional history (“Graham Salisbury (1944–).” Notable Biographies, JRank). Despite being born in Philadelphia, Salisbury’s ties to Hawaii are rooted in his father Henry’s pivotal role as an ensign on the USS West Virginia during the Pearl Harbor attack. Henry, a fighter pilot, died on Graham’s first birthday. Growing up on Oahu, Salisbury’s education took him to boarding school on the island of Hawaii, and later to mainland California for college.

The convergence of Salisbury’s heritage and personal experiences ignited a deep-seated fascination with Hawaii and World War II, especially the Pearl Harbor attack, materializing in the creation of Under the Blood Red Sun. Salisbury initially attempted to tell the story from Billy’s perspective, but it lacked the narrative he sought, as the Japanese viewpoint was essential for authenticity (Salisbury, Graham. Under the Blood Red Sun: Letter to the Reader. Random House Children’s Books, 2014). Salisbury’s affinity for Hawaii is evident in most of his works. Additionally, he acknowledges that his works predominantly explore loyalty, honor, courage, and friendship themes. Under the Blood Red Sun intertwines Graham Salisbury’s formative influences and rigorous research, resulting in a narrative that transcends personal history and explores universal themes.

Historical Context: Japanese Americans in the Aftermath of the Pearl Harbor Attacks

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in the deaths of 2,403 individuals and the destruction of 19 US Naval vessels, triggering widespread American anxiety about national security (“Japanese Relocation During World War II.” National Archives). Within two months of the attack, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced relocation of individuals deemed national security threats from the West Coast to “relocation centers” located further inland (National Archives). This directive led to the imprisonment of thousands of Japanese Americans.

The forced removals came after a 48-hour notice, leaving minimal time for those imprisoned to gather belongings or make property arrangements (National Archives). The financial toll on Japanese Americans amounted to an estimated $2.7 billion in property and income loss (National Archives). Over six months, 122,000 Japanese Americans were moved to concentration camps, with no West Coast Japanese Americans exempt from imprisonment (National Archives). Approximately 70,000 of those imprisoned were American-born citizens (National Archives). Despite facing no charges and having no recourse for their incarceration, American-citizen prisoners were encouraged to enlist, resulting in 30,000 Japanese Americans serving in World War II (National Archives).

In contrast to the mass imprisonment on the West Coast, a third of Hawaii’s workforce was of Japanese descent at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack (“Hawai’i’s Japanese American Citizenry.” National Park Service). Imprisoning all Japanese Americans would have devastated Hawaii’s economy. Approximately 160,000 Japanese people lived in Hawaii during the attack, with the government choosing to imprison around 2,000, typically targeting well-educated individuals or those with communication or transportation means (National Park Service). However, Hawaii was placed under martial law, which remained in effect for almost three years, the longest In American history (National Park Service).

Graham Salisbury subtly addresses this injustice in Under the Blood Red Sun, as characters discuss the arbitrary nature of imprisonment and the disparity between affected professions. For example, the head of the Kaka’ako Boys, Ichiro Fujita, highlights the inconsistency in the imprisonment of fishermen compared to tuna packers. In the 1980s, the US government acknowledged and apologized for the imprisonment, compensating each affected person with $20,000 (National Archives). However, this redress occurred 40 years after the initial imprisonment, leaving many affected individuals deceased (National Archives).