Desert Exile

The construction, erasure, and subsequent rebuilding of Japanese-American identity is one of the dominant themes in Desert Exile. A major nerve of tension throughout the story is Uchida’s confusion about what it means to be a Japanese American. This uncertainty stems from being the child of parents whose native Japan is at war with their adopted country, the country of their children’s birth. Uchida’s narrative traces the arc of this theme as she goes from studying for university exams on the day of Pearl Harbor, to the FBI arresting her father that same day, to being bussed away south of San Francisco, to an internment camp.

As Desert Exile opens, Uchida paints the picture of Mr. and Mrs. Uchida as well respected local leaders, who sought out the Uchidas’ hospitality and advice when they arrived in America. Dwight Uchida is a successful businessman who locks up the local church on Sundays, after Mass. Mrs. Uchida is president of the church’s Women’s Society. The family lives in a mostly white area of Berkeley, in a home with flourishing gardens, sweetpeas and zinnias. The Uchidas participate in a bustling Japanese-American Christian community. Through self-discipline, hard work and familial piety, they areachieving the American Dream. Still, Uchida recalls a stranger’s shock at how wonderfully she spoke English.

The tension in her identity becomes further complicated after Pearl Harbor, when Uchida’s white friends ask if Uchida knew the attack was coming. Despite the Uchidas’ American success and their loyalty to America, a very flagstone of their identitywas called into question. Raised on American ideas of freedom, Uchida cannot understand why the Constitution and her country is failing its citizens. Uchida recalls feeling ashamed by Issei, and her family buying war bonds to prove their loyalty. Once in the camps, even as their humanity is degraded by living conditions that force humans to live in horse stalls, the men and women organize countless activities and civic groups, and Uchida realizes the strength of her Japanese American spirit. Uchida feels like a representative for all Japanese Americans and wants to prove herself, which causes her to ignore the first chance to leave the camps.

Later in life, Uchida’s sense of Japanese-American identity comes full circle, after Uchida visits Japan on a fellowship and learns more about where she comes from. Uchida develops a deeper respect for her Japanese heritage. She praises the strength Issei show Nisei children, who teach later generations to be aware of injustices, and to be proud of their rich, courageous Japanese-American identity.