Chanacder sketch of Hana
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Answer:
Hana is a dynamic character, and the novel is in many ways the story of her maturity into adulthood. Hana goes about her duty with a Christian belief that has been somewhat compromised by the war. While she refrains from praying and outright religious ceremony, the allusions she makes are clearly religious.
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Hana
Character Analysis
Hana is Dr. Sadao Hoki’s wife. The couple met at a university in America, but “waited to fall in love” until their parents back in Japan could properly approve of and arrange the marriage. Hana shows a deep love for Japanese customs and the old way of living, seen through her traditional house (peppered with patios and courtyards) and her role as a subservient housewife. She largely bends to Sadao’s will, often without resentment, and upholds him as the head of the household. Hana’s main task is overseeing the servants—who, in turn, tend to her household and children—and ensuring that her husband is always fed first and taken care of. Although she appears less overtly racist than her husband, she too distains Tom for being white and American. She is also more afraid of going against the cultural grain by dangerously housing and saving the white man, who is clearly a prisoner of war. Tom makes her uncomfortable and anxious, both because of his Americanness and because his presence poses a severe threat to her and Sadao’s safety, given that aiding a prisoner of war and political enemy is against the law. Nonetheless, she finds herself taking care of the American even though she doesn’t really want to, washing him tenderly while thinking racist thoughts. Hana, like Sadao, demonstrates the human impulse to be altruistic and take care of fellow humans, but also shows how racial prejudice and nationalism cloud such thinking.