They Called Us Enemy

Nonfiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Adult | Published in 2019

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Pages 1-60

Pages 61-100

Pages 101-150

Pages 151-205

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Themes

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Themes

Injustice Against Japanese Americans

At the beginning of the book, soldiers rouse George’s family and force them to leave their home. By the end of the story, multiple American presidents have admitted that the internment orders were unjust and that the Japanese American citizens were treated horribly by the US government. Upon a second reading, every small injustice is more sinister than it initially appears. Like the exclusion zones which led to internment which led to the loyalty questionnaire which led to even harsher internment, each successive injustice compounds upon prior instances, all to enforce to the unjust imprisonment of American citizens.

It’s not only the government that participates in such injustice, however. When the people marked for interment try to sell their belongings rather than lose them for nothing, many American citizens use the opportunity to torment or degrade their Japanese American neighbors with insultingly low offers.

At Camp Lake Tule, when the crackdowns on protestors begin, the protestors then turn on their fellow prisoners and accuse them of taking their jobs. Injustice, as presented in the story, tends to give rise to more injustice. When President Reagan makes his formal apology—accompanied by restitution checks—it is a first step at righting the injustice. This is major step toward closure for Japanese Americans who endured internment, as it was hard to fight against that injustice when the US government refused to admit wrongdoing for so many decades.

An Imperfect Democracy

George’s father is a stalwart defender of the ideal of American democracy despite the mistreatment he endures in the camps. He does not claim that the system is perfect, but he believes that it is the best system that exists. Speaking about the conflict between American ideals and the decision for interment, he says, “People can do great things, George. They can come up with noble, shining ideals. But people are also fallible human beings. And know they made a terrible mistake” (45).

At the end of the book, George recounts the various officials and presidents who have apologized to the Japanese Americans for the camps. Had his father lived to see these apologies, he may have taken them as proof that the system is malleable enough to change for the better and that the US government can learn from its missteps.

When George learns he was present at a protest in the camps, he realizes that he has participated in the American democratic process longer than he realized. Through his continued activism, he demonstrates his belief in the value of the system, even though the system mistreated him and his family. When the government issues restitution checks and its formal apology to the Japanese Americans who were interned in the camps, George calls it “an amazing statement about this country. It took a while, but it did apologize” (193).

Loyalty and American Patriotism

The theme of loyalty is central to many of the book’s core tensions. At the command of the Japanese emperor, Japanese pilots attack Pearl Harbor, leading to America’s involvement in World War II. The attack happens because the Japanese military is loyal to the emperor, and the president asks Congress to declare war on Japan.

As a result, many Americans—including influential politicians—then immediately view Japanese American citizens as suspicious, untrustworthy, and disloyal. They treat them as if they are responsible, complicit, or supportive of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In truth, the attack appalls people like George’s parents.

Politicians, including Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron, state that not only are Japanese Americans untrustworthy, but their heritage makes them loyal to Emperor Hirohito and therefore incapable of being Americans or American patriots. Consequently, Japanese Americans are deemed so disloyal that they must be placed in internment camps. Then, when America needs more soldiers for World War II, the loyalty questionnaire gives them the chance to, ostensibly, prove their loyalty to America by serving in combat. The Japanese Americans have no way to prove their allegiance to America beyond their answers to this questionnaire. However, the US government puts such specific parameters on loyalty that it is impossible for George’s parents to show their patriotism while also honoring their own consciences.

By the end of the book, George’s father—and others who were interned—continued to endure shame as a result of their experiences in the camps, though they remain loyal to America and its democratic system. When the government finally apologizes, George sees it as a sign that his loyalty to America was well-founded, despite the government’s mistakes.