After Darkness: Chapter 11: Loveday, 1942 Summary & Analysis

One day, during Dr. Ibaraki’s shift at the infirmary, Officer McCubbin comes in with something important to tell him. At first, Ibaraki fears that something has happened to Stanley Suzuki. However, instead, Officer McCubbin hands him a telegram. The telegram reads that Ibaraki’s brother, Nobuhiro, was killed in battle. Officer McCubbin tries to comfort him, relating to the loss because of the loss of his friends when he was fighting in Egypt, but he soon realizes that Dr. Ibaraki needs to be left alone.

Without thinking, Dr. Ibaraki walks to the Buddhist altar of the camp. On the way, he runs into Mr. Yamada. When Yamada reads the telegram, he advises Ibaraki to think of his brother’s death as a gift, because Nobuhiro will always be honored for his bravery in fighting for the Emperor. Ibaraki thanks him and walks away, but he does not take any comfort in his words—he is unable to think of the death as anything but a loss. As he kneels before the Buddhist altar, he thinks of his childhood memories with Nobuhiro. Yamada’s words continue to bother him.

The next day, Dr. Ibaraki rises early. His compound has a trip to the river scheduled for that day. Though Ibaraki had decided not to go on the trip due to his grief, he ultimately decides to go on the trip rather than stay alone on the compound. As the men gather to leave in their matching uniforms, Ibaraki feels like a “carbon copy” of his fellow internees. While they walk, they pass mallee trees. Ibaraki admires these trees for their ability to take a new shape to be suited to the surrounding environment.

The men arrive at the river, and two officers on horseback mark the boundaries of where they are allowed to roam. Dr. Ibaraki thinks of the divers in Broome and his curiosity about what it was like to spend their days alone underground. He remembers being interned with a few divers immediately after his arrest in Broome. They had discussed diving and the dangers of caisson disease—a disease that affects divers when they resurface too quickly. Ibaraki reflects on the divers and their subpar working conditions, reflecting on the injustice of one life being valued over another. As he listens to the men enjoy themselves at the river, lost in his own grief, he resents their happiness.

That Tuesday, Dr. Ibaraki comes to the infirmary on his day off because he hears that Stanley Suzuki is coming back from the hospital. He looks in on Stan, sectioned off from the rest of the infirmary by makeshift curtains, and worries that he is dead due to his stillness. However, he then sees that Stan is watching him out of the corner of his eyes. His blank expression, without any approval or disapproval, makes Ibaraki want to cry.

After visiting Stanley, Dr. Ibaraki walks through the camp. He passes the men building the new cabins. He also passes Johnny Chang and his baseball team practicing. Johnny approaches Ibaraki with a friendly manner, much to Ibaraki’s relief—Ibaraki regrets dismissing Johnny’s accusations of Mr. Yamada. Johnny thanks Ibaraki for advocating for the baseball competition. Johnny also expresses his sympathies for Ibaraki’s loss, saying that he knows how it feels, as he lost a sister. Ibaraki takes comfort in Johnny’s words, especially in contrast with Yamada’s. Additionally, Johnny tells Ibaraki that he has an appeal to get out of the camp scheduled, as he is Australian-born. Though Ibaraki was excited about his budding friendship with Johnny, he is happy for him. At the end of their conversation, Johnny invites Ibaraki to play baseball with his team sometime.

Dr. Ibaraki begins to visit Stanley Suzuki’s bed daily to change his bandages and check on his progress. Stan remains blank, barely moving or speaking. The next week, Johnny Chang comes to visit Stan. Johnny comforts him, saying that they’ll be out soon and that all their friends are thinking of him. Stan smiles for the first time since his suicide attempt. Ibaraki realizes that he has neglected providing personal care within his medical practice, instead allowing Sister Bernice and other assistants to make emotional connections with the patients. This, he now understands, was a mistake.

The afternoon after Johnny Chang’s visit, Dr. Ibaraki sees Stanley Suzuki standing outside on the infirmary grounds. It is a windy day and Ibaraki worries that he will get sick from the wind. Hayashi reminds Ibaraki that he can’t get any sicker than he is at that moment. They watch him stand alone, staring at the sky, until the sun begins to set and he goes back inside. 

By winter, the internees begin to move into the huts. First, elderly internees move into the huts, and then the rest of the movement is determined by lottery. Dr. Ibaraki’s tent is selected late. The baseball competition begins. Ibaraki’s team gets eliminated early, but Ibaraki is quietly relieved to be out of the spotlight. On the day of Johnny Chang’s team’s first game, Ibaraki watches. Dale, a relative newcomer to the camp, makes the winning hit for Johnny’s team of Australians. Though Ibaraki is wary of appearing to be disloyal to the high-ranking Japanese men in the camp, he smiles at Johnny.