Sisters Under the Rising Sun

“As the launch pulls away with Norah, John, and Ena on board, they hear singing from the wharf. The nurses, arms around each other’s shoulders, stand proudly, singing with all their might, loud enough to drown out a nearby petrol tank detonating into a ball of flames.”

This moment establishes singing as a means of collective resistance and hope, foreshadowing the theme of Art and Music as a Form of Spiritual Resistance. The auditory imagery contrasts the nurses’ harmonious voices with the chaotic sounds of war, positioning their unity as a force capable of spiritually overcoming destruction. By having their song “drown out” an explosion, the author also presents the theme of The Power of Female Solidarity in a Dehumanizing Environment.

“Others in the water have also noticed the Japanese aircraft heading straight for the stranded passengers. All around them the sea begins to churn as bullets strike the water, some finding a target. Too many who have survived this leap into the unknown now float lifeless in the waves, their fight over.”

This passage exemplifies The Indiscriminate Brutality of War, with the attack’s target shifting from the ship to the helpless survivors in the water. The verb “churn” creates visceral imagery of the sea’s disruption, mirroring the violent destruction of human life. The contrast between the hopeful act of survival (“leap into the unknown”) and the finality of being “lifeless” underscores the arbitrary and cruel nature of the attack on noncombatants.

“Clasping a cotton slip between her hands and teeth, she tears off strips of fabric.”

After assessing the severe rope burns on Norah’s and Ena’s hands, Margaret Dryburgh takes this action. The imagery of Margaret using her “hands and teeth” demonstrates primal determination in response to the lack of medical supplies, establishing her as a resourceful leader.