They Called Us Enemy

These pages show what it was like for George and his family to settle into their lives in the camp. Once everyone is delivered to the camp, much of their uncertainty ends. George’s mother is determined to make their cabin in Block 6 feel like a home. When she reveals that she smuggled in a sewing machine despite not knowing what their circumstances would be, it is evidence of how seriously she takes her role as a nurturer and a homemaker. But she also uses her work as a small form of protest. The guards may deprive her of the supplies and materials she would want for her own home, but she rejects the government’s assertion that it has already provided everything she needs for her family.

George’s father immerses himself in work on behalf of the camp community. His motto of “it cannot be helped” manifests in his willingness to serve others. When he does not know how to change his own situation, he tries to change the situation for others. George is unaware of his father’s emotional struggles and does not understand that he throws himself into the work of Block Manager as a distraction as well as a duty. George will later say that his father always appeared to be in charge of every situation.

The discussion of the three generations inhabiting the camp—Issei, Nisei, and Sansei—foreshadows some of the intra-camp tensions that arise as the gap between the older and younger prisoners grows clearer. George’s father experiences life in the camp as a chance to study the commonalities between the generations. The section where George relates the stories of the other families they meet is a reminder of what he calls their “common denominator” (76): They are all different in their own ways, but they are living the same shared experience at Rohwer.

Takekuma’s need to immerse himself in the community is helpful in bridging the divide between the generations. He is young enough to identify with the changing needs and views of the younger Nisei but old enough to empathize with their more traditional elders. Later, when the narrative moves to Camp Tule Lake, his presence will not be enough to keep things calm. However, in the less tempestuous environment of Camp Rohwer, he helps maintain peaceful relations among the internees.

George does not describe this period as one of overt hardship, other than the poor food and sanitary concerns. He and Henry are more concerned with playing and exploration. However, when his father arranges a trip in the Jeep, George reacts by saying, “Outside the fences?!” (92). He may not spend each moment dwelling on their circumstances, but his excitement at their temporary escape highlights an underlying awareness that he is not free.

As this section of the book closes, winter is approaching, foreshadowing some of the darkest events of the story. The children are looking forward to Christmas, but everyone else is in a state of constant unease.