Under the Blood Red Sun

The characters in Under the Blood Red Sun undergo significant transformations influenced by their relationships with friends and family—with Tomi, Billy, and Grampa experiencing profound changes. Tomi grapples with the delicate balance between familial and peer pressures, while Billy learns empathy and respect, and Grampa undergoes a journey of acceptance and compromise.

Initially, Grampa is portrayed as stubborn, clinging fiercely to his Japanese traditions despite the evolving political landscape. However, the Pearl Harbor attack forces him to reevaluate his worldview. Grampa isolates himself in an attempt to comprehend the actions of his country. The catalysts for his transformation include Charlie, who encourages acceptance, and Tomi, who exemplifies respect for Japanese customs without adhering strictly to tradition. This shift in thinking prompts Grampa to compromise, evident in his newfound happiness as he engages in activities like playing baseball and contributing to household chores. When the FBI arrests him, Grampa trusts Tomi with the family’s well-being, a stark departure from his initial reluctance.

Billy, too, experiences a transformative journey spurred by his friendship with Tomi. Initially, he is not accepting, resisting unfamiliar foods and expressing disdain for Japanese customs. However, his evolving friendship with Tomi leads to greater openness. Billy tries new foods, accepts Tomi’s explanations, and extends this acceptance to his own family, fostering their support for the Nakaji family during challenging times.

At the center of these transformations, Tomi navigates internal conflicts arising from the divergent values of his Japanese family and American surroundings. His parents exert a significant influence, with Papa’s admonishments curbing Tomi’s inclination for conflict and urging him to avoid actions that may bring shame to the family. When the prejudice and injustice after the Pearl Harbor attack becomes too much to bear, Tomi repeats his father’s words: “This is a good place” (50). Mama’s nurturing care and courage become beacons for Tomi, inspiring him to continue despite hardships.

Tomi’s friends contribute substantially to his character development. Their unwavering support allows him to muster courage during difficult moments, such as inquiring about Papa at the police station and facing verbal assaults. Tomi adopts many American customs from his friends, learning baseball and self-assertion. By the story’s conclusion, the collective influence of family and friends shapes Tomi into a resilient and admirable young man.

In essence, Grampa, Billy, and Tomi undergo transformative journeys shaped by their relationships with family and friends, highlighting the power of a supportive and accepting network in fostering personal growth, particularly in times of growing animosity and divisive rhetoric.

In Under the Blood Red Sun, characters grapple with profound internal conflicts arising from their divided loyalties. Whether torn between family and friends, patriotism and injustice, or cultural divides, the narrative unfolds with characters struggling to reconcile conflicting allegiances.

Tomi, the focal point of these struggles, contends with the dichotomy between his American identity and Japanese heritage. While he deeply respects his cultural roots and the moral codes associated with Japan, Tomi staunchly identifies as an American and tends to favor American ways. This internal conflict becomes a source of tension within his family, who hold traditional Japanese expectations for him.

The influence of Tomi’s American friends further complicates his allegiances. While they neither criticize nor embrace his heritage, Tomi finds himself navigating between his friends’ expectations and the cultural values upheld by his family. For instance, the desire of Mama and Grampa for Tomi to speak more Japanese clashes with Billy’s linguistic limitations. This constant balancing act makes Tomi struggle constantly between two distinct groups.

Grampa, too, grapples with conflicting loyalties—this time between Japan and America. Despite Tomi’s unequivocal assertion of his American identity, Grampa maintains a solid connection to his Japanese roots. The aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack intensifies this conflict as Grampa attempts to comprehend the actions of his homeland. During the attack, Grampa waves the Japanese flag, firmly believing that the pilots will not attack if they know Japanese Americans are there. When this naive belief proves untrue, Grampa feels a profound sense of betrayal by Japan. With the assistance of Charlie, he shifts his loyalty to Hawaii, only to face another betrayal when the FBI arrests him. Grampa ultimately reaffirms his commitment to family traditions, symbolized by preserving the butsudan and katana, emphasizing their familial significance over ties to Japan.

The characters collectively grapple with their patriotism in the face of unjust government actions post-Pearl Harbor. The tragedies, including Sanji’s death, Papa and Grampa’s incarceration, and the destruction of the Taiyo Maru, strain their loyalty to a government engaged in morally questionable actions. Even Billy, generally supportive of the military, acknowledges the government’s mistake while highlighting the survivors’ silver lining. These divided loyalties persist, unresolved, as the characters grapple with their limited power to influence governmental decisions.

Loyalty is a complex theme in Under the Blood Red Sun, where characters are encouraged to trust family, friends, and the government unquestioningly. However, unquestioning allegiance becomes untenable when the desires of these groups directly oppose one another. Tomi, Billy, Grampa, and others face intense internal conflicts as they navigate these divided loyalties, highlighting the nuanced exploration of allegiance in the narrative. Ultimately, these characters find a sense of peace and resilience when they adopt a multifaceted allegiance to more than one thing, and namely to those who have earned their trust.