Dash

“What happened on December 7 hadn’t changed the way he felt about Mitsi. Not one whit. Why couldn’t it be the same for people?”

Larson continues to use allusion to Pearl Harbor, referring to it as “December 7.” She reinforces the symbolism of Dash as representing stability. Pearl Harbor didn’t make him distant and racist; he is as constant as ever.

“In the movies, the only people who got fingerprinted were criminals. Not grandmothers.”

Larson uses juxtaposition and humor to convey the disheartening experience Mitsi has of taking Obaachan to the Registration Room. She puts grandmothers next to criminals, and the comparison produces such a sharp difference that it’s funny. This quote links to the institutional aspect of Racism and Adversity.

“But she felt inside out, too. She hadn’t thought the card would be babyish. She was just trying to get things back to normal.”

Mitsi’s friends are central to her identity. Without them, she feels “inside out.” Larson uses figurative language for Mitsi’s disarray. She’s not literally “inside out,” but she is out of sorts. This quote links to the theme of Friendship and Integrity.

“It gave Mitsi a stomachache to think of being that kind of mean to another person. She couldn’t do it.”

Mitsi holds onto her integrity by not leaving a mean note in Mags’s desk. Instead of becoming a bully, she takes the high road and preserves her principles. This quote connects to the theme of Friendship and Integrity.

“Each person could take only what they could carry.”

Mitsi and her family have to go through all of their belongings and determine what they’ll keep and what they’ll give away and sell (or keep in the storage provided by Pastor Andrews). In real life, the Americans only let the Japanese people take what they could carry with them. This quote links to the idea of adversity as Japanese Americans lose their material possessions and their standing in society.

“You can keep it.”

Done trying to be friends with Mags and Judy, Mitsi puts Mags in her place and declines her note. Though Mags has good intentions, Mitsi doesn’t know that yet, so Mitsi proceeds as if she’s standing up to a bully. This quote links to the theme of Friendship and Integrity.

“You are a brave girl. To write a general!”

Mitsi links herself to Resilience and Hope by writing General DeWitt and asking if she can bring Dash. Though DeWitt says no, Obaachan praises her bravery. Though she’s sometimes shy, Mitsi has a knack for confronting people who do bad things.

“Mom was pretty. As beautiful as that actress that played Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.”

Larson shows the reader Mitsi’s mother through a pop-culture reference. She says she’s as attractive as Scarlett O’Hara, the star of the 1939 blockbuster film Gone with the Wind.

“The truck growled through a big gate in the barbed wire fence and pulled to a stop at a sentry box.”

Larson uses zoomorphism to reveal the beastliness of the concentration camp system. The truck isn’t an animal—it can’t growl—but Larson makes it growl to showcase the primitive environment.

“She felt herself turning to stone, like she really was frozen.”

The heartless concentration camp has a negative impact on Mitsi. The language is figurative: She isn’t literally becoming a stone, but her lack of resilience zaps her spirit. She has a physical response to the adversity she is facing: adjusting to a new life in the camp.

“Ted was a nice guy. A good big brother. Why was he hanging around with a bully like Lefty?”

Larson demonstrates the link between Friendship and Integrity. Ted has principles and is a good person, so he shouldn’t connect himself to a boy with no moral compass in sight. Because Mitsi is not a mean person, Ted’s choice to be friends with Lefty puzzles her.

“There are a lot of things I don’t like here. I don’t like waiting in line to use the bathroom. I don’t like everyone sitting in the wrong places at dinner. And I don’t like hearing the people on the other side of the wall. […] But there is one thing I do like. Hearing from you. Please keep writing.”

In her letter to Dash, Mitsi juxtaposes the contemptible conditions at the concentration camp with her beloved dog. The letter from Dash/Mrs. Bowker gives her hope and steers her toward resilience. Writing Dash allows her to give voice to her feelings about the camp.

“I’m glad you made a new buddy. Bandit sounds nice. I made some new friends, too, when I showed off your picture.”

Dash pushes Mitsi out of apathy and into the community. His story mirrors hers: He makes a new friend, and she makes new friends. Thus, Dash teaches Mitsi how to adjust to her new surroundings.

“I was thinking that Dash really is a magician […]. […] Even from far away, he’s turning this camp into a friendlier place. […] I just wish he could do something about the food!”

Mitsi credits Dash for making Camp Harmony less spiteful. Yet it’s Mitsi’s actions, inspired by Dash, that help counter Camp Harmony’s coarseness. Mitsi also shows off her sense of humor: She wishes Dash could make the food yummier.

“Debbie pointed to her glasses. ‘I will definitely see you later.’” 

Debbie has a sense of humor. The image of her pointing to her glasses and saying, “See you later,” shows the reader that the concentration camp hasn’t taken away her playfulness.

“Mitsi cradled the box to her chest. Her family had worked hard to give her this one gift.”

Creativity symbolizes resistance and hope, and Mitsi’s dad, mother, and grandma work together to build her a treasure box to celebrate her birthday. They resist the gloomy concentration camp and build cheer.

“She knew he wasn’t going to read it, of course. She knew it was Mrs. Bowker who was writing to her. But Dash had always been there when Mitsi was sad. He was her best friend. It was a comfort to imagine talking to him.”

The narrator makes it clear that Mitsi knows the letters aren’t from Dash. Yet Mitsi pretends they are because they represent Dash’s dependability. Before the camps, he was always physically there for her. In the camps, he’s there for her through Mrs. Bowker’s words.

“The passenger compartment smelled like a big pail of dirty baby diapers left out in the sun.”

Larson uses a simile to provide an image of the foul train. She compares the smell to dirty diapers in the sun. The gross picture matches the noxious atmosphere.

“But if you look with your heart, you can find beauty anywhere.”

Mr. Hirai’s statement supports the Resilience and Hope theme. Even in a deplorable concentration camp, a person can feel and discover wonder. Mr. Hirai and others like him represent adults who lead by example to help children survive horrific circumstances.

“When they went outside, he lifted his leg on Mr. Hirai’s tumbleweed. The girls fell against each other giggling. ‘Thank goodness for his diapers,’ Debbie said. That got them laughing all over again.”

Davy provides further comic relief by pretending to be a dog and peeing on the tumbleweeds. Aside from humor, the scene showcases community, as Debbie and Mitsi babysit Davy together and help Mrs. Tokuda. The Japanese Americans retain their humanity and sense of connection even in a concentration camp.

“I wish I had never gone along with Patty. And not just because she and Judy are now thick as thieves. The way she treated you was awful. Well, I treated you pretty bad, too.”

Like Mrs. Bowker, Mags holds herself accountable for her actions. She’s a person with integrity—she has a conscience, and she can see she didn’t act admirably. This quote links to the theme of Friendship and Integrity.

“We will make do.”

With a blunt tone, Miss Pellegrino summons resilience and hope. She may not have all the resources as a regular teacher, but she won’t give in: She and her students will figure out a way to make an effective classroom.

“She buried her face in Dash’s fur. He still smelled like a well-worn penny.”

Reunited, Dash remains a symbol of stability. Mitsi smells him, and he still smells like a used penny. There is comfort in his constancy.