55 pages • 1-hour read
Paper Wishes
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Chapters 3-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 3 Summary: “May”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism.
The family settles into a routine. Mother helps Mrs. Soto with her children, and both Mother and Manami tend to the Tanakas’ slowly growing little garden. Father works on building projects with the other men. When there are scraps or damaged items left over at the end of the day, the prisoners are allowed to pick through them, and Father manages to bring Grandfather some wood, nails, and wire.
Grandfather makes the family a chair for outside their door, and he sits there most of the time, making small sculptures of trees and animals. Manami thinks that he is also yearning for Yujiin. She and her mother continue to bring food to Grandfather, who rarely leaves their barracks. Eventually, Mother gets tired of not having a job to do and wants to take a job cooking. Father does not want her to leave Manami alone all day as long as Manami is still not speaking, but Mother finally persuades him by pointing out that she is a better cook than the people currently feeding the camp.
Kimmi comes to visit. She tells Manami that her mother will work at an army factory making nets as soon as the factory is completed. She brushes and braids Manami’s hair. Manami wants to talk to Kimmi, but she feels unable to speak. Kimmi shares the news that a school is opening in Block 7 soon, and Manami nods when Kimmi asks her to promise to come to school.
More and more prisoners arrive each day, and the barracks fill up as quickly as the work crews can build them. The new arrivals are from California cities and do not always get along with the Bainbridge Islanders. Plans are made to start building a hospital and stores and to rehabilitate an old apple orchard. Manami is interested in the idea of school starting, but she worries about Grandfather being alone all day. She knows that, like her, he is only thinking about Yujiin.
Late one night, Manami is surprised to hear her brother Ron’s voice outside the house, calling quietly for someone to open the door. Manami is overjoyed to see him, throwing herself into his arms. She imagines that somehow they will be able to leave now and go back home. Father is angry, however, demanding to know why Ron has left school to come to Manzanar. Ron says that he could not stay in Indiana, knowing the family was in this camp.
Suddenly, Manami understands that Ron is now a prisoner just like them. Mother tells Ron that it is best for them to be together, but she is glad that Keiko has not come: “Keiko is not strong enough for this place” (50). Ron explains that he and Keiko agreed that it was best for at least one family member to remain outside, “Just in case” (50).
Manami worries that somehow her letter made it to Ron and that it is her fault that they are all trapped together in Manzanar and that Keiko is alone, far away. She also realizes that it is her fault that Yujiin ended up in the crate at the dock and not with a family friend, and she feels that she has also caused her grandfather’s sadness.
Chapter 4 Summary: “June”
The first day of school arrives. Mother walks Manami to the school building and waits with her in the line for grades 4, 5, and 6. Ron is already at the school, having taken a job teaching the next-oldest group of children.
Manami’s teacher is Miss Rosalie, a kind-looking blond woman. Manami sits down on a long bench next to Kimmi. Miss Rosalie passes a book around, asking each student to read aloud. When Manami reads silently, Kimmi explains that Manami has not spoken since they arrived at the camp. Miss Rosalie gives Manami a slate and chalk, and Manami writes Miss Rosalie’s name to show that she can write. Then, she draws Yujiin’s face.
When the other students go outside for recess, Miss Rosalie asks Manami to stay. She tells Manami that she would like to be friends. She points toward the administration block, saying that this is where she lives. Manami knows that the workers live with their families in this block, and she reflects that this makes them both like and unlike the Japanese American families in the camp. They are not prisoners, and their children can leave the camp to do ordinary things like see a movie. School is dismissed at lunchtime. Miss Rosalie gives Manami some paper and a pencil to take home with her.
Attendance at the school grows each day. By the end of the week, 35 students are crowded into Miss Rosalie’s classroom. There are not enough supplies, but Miss Rosalie does her best to teach some basic reading and math. Each day, she gives Manami more paper to take home. Manami decides to give one of her drawings to Miss Rosalie as a thank-you. She leaves early for school so that she can privately give Miss Rosalie the picture she has chosen: one of her father’s fishing boat sailing along the shore. Miss Rosalie asks if this is where Manami once lived, and says it is beautiful. Manami is already thinking about which picture she will give Miss Rosalie next.
One day, it seems as if it will finally rain. Mother calls Manami outside. They squat in the garden, waiting. Manami sees that other people are also outside in their small gardens, waiting. The rain does not come before Manami has to go to the mess hall for breakfast and then go to school. She walks with Ron, who tells her that he will be happy when he hears her voice again. It makes Manami feel sad, and she notices that unlike her mother, her father, Grandfather, and Miss Rosalie, Ron makes no effort to look in her eyes to see what she is thinking when he talks to her.
That day at school, the camp’s warden raises a flag and commands the children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. He yells at Manami for not speaking. Miss Rosalie protests that Manami is unable to speak. When he plays the National Anthem, Manami thinks that she no longer understands this song about freedom. After school that day, Ron thanks Miss Rosalie for standing up for Manami. Miss Rosalie blushes.
That night, during dinner, the rain finally breaks. Everyone rushes outside the mess hall to happily dance around in the pouring rain. Suddenly, Mother realizes that this rain is too heavy for her still-fragile plants. She, Manami, and Ron rush back to the barracks. Mother cries, thinking it is too late to save her garden. Ron leads his mother back to the mess hall to finish her shift at work; Manami remains behind, frantically trying to find a way to save the plants. She vows that the garden will survive.
A letter arrives from Keiko. She has heard that young men who join the army will be released from Manzanar, and she urges Ron to join. Ron does not want to fight for the army that is imprisoning his family, however. There is also a note for Manami. Keiko tells her to study hard so that she can someday come to join Keiko at college. Manami thinks that all she wants to do with her future is return to Bainbridge Island.
Chapter 5 Summary: “July”
For the camp’s 4th of July celebrations, the 10,000 prisoners are assembled to hear a program of patriotic songs and poetry recitations put on by the school children. Manami is nervous when she sees that some adults in the crowd do not salute the flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
On the way back to their barracks, Ron notices some of the boys from his class lurking around a group of adult men who are huddled together in the shadows, talking. Ron sends Manami ahead so that he can tell the boys to get to the mess hall for lunch. Manami sees one of the men hand one of the boys a piece of paper before the boys follow Ron.
For a week, hot dusty winds make everyone miserable. Manami worries about what conditions Yujiin is living in. She thinks about her theory that the wind blew her letters all the way to Keiko and Ron, and she decides that maybe this wind is strong enough to bring Yujiin to the camp as well. She draws a picture of Yujiin and writes promises to him: If he comes to the camp, she will give him chicken, and he can sleep in her bed. She carries her drawing outside and lifts it up for the wind to take. She does this again day after day, for a month. She wonders why Yujiin does not come.
Her last picture is of Grandfather and Yujiin sitting together on the beach. She is sure that this drawing will be the one that brings Yujiin back to her. Instead of filling the page with promises, this time she writes, “I’m sorry, Yujiin! I’m sorry” (82). She runs home and throws her arms around Grandfather, crying. She wants to tell him she is sorry, but she cannot make the words come. Grandfather comforts her, saying he knows how much she misses Yujiin. He tells her that he knows she is sorry, and that he is sorry, too. When he takes her hand and leads her to school, her heart feels lighter than it has in a long time.
That evening, Grandfather finally joins the family for dinner in the mess hall. Manami’s mother cries with happiness. Mother performs a special tea ceremony with the last of the family’s tea to honor the occasion. For the first time, Manami feels the dust begin to clear from her throat, and she wonders if tonight she will be able to speak again.
That night, Father brings home a special surprise: A small stray dog that he has gotten permission to adopt. He says that he hopes it will help Manami find her voice again. Manami’s heart begins to pound as she watches the family happily petting the dog. Her mother suddenly thinks to ask whether she actually wants the dog. Manami only wants Yujiin. Her throat closes tightly and she runs outside. Father comes outside carrying the dog, and the next morning, Manami learns that Kimmi’s family has adopted it. Kimmi is delighted, but Manami struggles to be happy for her.
Chapters 3-5 Analysis
In Chapters 3-5, the family members struggle to balance responsibility to self, family, and community while navigating The Problem of Unjust Persecution. Father contributes significantly to the community by working on the building crew, but this takes him away from the family most of the time. Mother is restless without meaningful work to do, and she wants to take a job to keep herself busy. Father objects to this, wanting her to be available for Manami and Grandfather, but ultimately he is persuaded when Mother points out that her food will be more appetizing for the community than the food currently being served. Manami is excited at the prospect of school, but she feels guilty about the idea of leaving Grandfather on his own.
When Ron arrives, the picture grows even more complex. Father objects to Ron sacrificing his freedom and his education, but Ron is trying to do what he feels is best for his family. Mother, on the other hand, approves of this choice—but notably, she is glad that Keiko has not made the same choice. Ron turns down the chance to join the army because he feels that this would be a betrayal of his family and community. Even in the best of circumstances, balancing responsibilities like this can be tricky—at Manzanar, the stakes of each choice are higher.
The growing importance of this issue is foreshadowed in Chapters 3-5 in moments like the conflict with the warden over Manami not saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Manami also feels anxiety over the adults at the 4th of July celebration who refuse to salute the flag or say the Pledge, which suggests the deep anger many of the prisoners feel over their unjust imprisonment. The furtive meeting that Ron shoos the middle-school boys away from also foreshadows the agitation and mood of resistance that will start to gather in the camp. Among the 10,000 people incarcerated at Manzanar, there are many different ideas about individual rights and how best to support the wider Japanese American community. In later chapters, these differing ideas will cause conflict within families and within the Manzanar community.
Despite these conditions, the Tanakas continue to show The Importance of Resilience and Adaptation. Ron takes a teaching job, and there are hints that he and Rosalie may be moving toward a romantic attachment, which suggests that Ron is still emotionally open and ready to form new connections. When Mother cries over her almost-ruined garden, Manami goes to great lengths to save the delicate plants, which reflects her determination to support her family in whichever way she can. Similarly, moved by Manami’s despair and guilt over Yujiin, Grandfather finally breaks through his own depression and walks her to school to make her feel better. Helping someone else in this way lifts him up enough for him to finally join the family for dinner. Manami’s mother is so pleased to see her father make this effort that she does her best to recreate the family’s tea ceremony. This reminder of her family’s love, strength, and traditions is very nearly enough to help Manami find her voice again.
Nevertheless, Manami is able to make only minimal progress toward healing and finding her voice again in these chapters, reflecting The Emotional and Psychological Effects of Imprisonment on Children. Her already large burden of guilt is made heavier with her brother’s arrival. When Ron first arrives, Manami is still invested in magical thinking: Ron will have brought a car, he will whisk them away to Bainbridge Island, and they will live happily ever after. When she finally understands what his arrival really means, Manami is consumed by guilt: She believes that the letter she wrote somehow made it to Ron and that because she did not word the letter correctly, he did not understand what she really wanted—to be rescued from the camp—and ended up needlessly sacrificing himself. Manami’s guilt and confusion thus worsen when she realizes that Ron is also a prisoner too, traumatizing her further.
When school begins, Manami spends a lot of time thinking about the situations of the various children at the camp. The children of the non-Japanese American workers are allowed to leave the camp whenever they want to. They can shop and go to the movies. Manami thinks about how they can even “follow the road to the ocean and get on a ferry and follow the ocean to the island” (58). Although Manami does not explicitly articulate the point, her musings demonstrate that imprisonment is especially unfair to children. At a time when they should be exploring the world, having innocent fun, and feeling secure in their home and family lives—like the children of the camp workers—the Japanese American children are prisoners at Manzanar.
This chapter also highlights another reason for Manami’s continued silence: Her feelings are simply too complex for her to know how to speak about them. She is only 10 years old, and she does not know how to put into words the big and confusing feelings she is struggling with. Miss Rosalie shows how well she understands this struggle when she gives Manami paper to draw on. Manami cannot convey her feelings in words, but she can communicate through drawings. Her use of the paper to create her “paper promises” (81) urging Yujiin to come find her at Manzanar is a reminder of how very young and confused Manami is, as she is still struggling to process what is happening to her.
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