Week 3: Alejandra Garcia

“Hiroshima” by Nam Le is told from the perspective of a third grade girl in Japan during WWII. The 1st person account bounces from one thought to another, from the present to past memories. The narrator is in a temple outside the city with other school children. She is often reminded of her parents and sister. This leads to memories in the past, told intertwined within the present. There are no indication of transitions nor use of quotation marks, the reader most closely pay attention, and follow the narrator's stream of consciousness.
Following Mayako’s memories we are able to pick up on the feelings of some of the adults. Mayako, like many of the children with her, are echoing what they hear on the radio or from others. Some of the adults however, in their actions display something different than what is said. Mayako many times remembers the way her father looked at her and her sister. Although Mayako is not able to describe how he felt, her visual description are strong. This focus on the sensory adds to the child perspective.