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Chapter 3: Loveday, 1942
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in After Darkness, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Dangers of Nationalism
Isolation and Trauma
Kindness, Compassion, and Selflessness
Racism, Xenophobia, and Division
Guilt and Atonement
Summary
Analysis
Four years before Dr. Ibaraki’s arrest and internment, he arrives in Broome. There, he meets Kanemori, the president of the Japanese association, who offered Dr. Ibaraki a job at the Broome hospital. He introduces Dr. Ibaraki to his deputy, Harada, with whom Dr. Ibaraki reunites in the Loveday camp. Kanemori leads Dr. Ibaraki to the Customs Office. When the customs officer asks Dr. Ibaraki why he did not bring his wife to Australia, he tells him that she did not want to travel rather than telling the officer that they are separated. Dr. Ibaraki also tells the officer that, after his appointment in Broome, he plans to return to Japan to practice medicine.
The existence of the Japanese Association in Broome serves to show that, before the internment policy, Japanese people were living full, community-oriented lives in Australia. On another note, Ibaraki’s unwillingness to tell the customs officer the full story of his and his wife’s relationship demonstrates the shame and discomfort that he has around their separation.
Themes
After Dr. Ibaraki gets his passport stamped at the Customs Office, Harada and Kanemori show him around Broome and its Japanese neighborhood, but the doctor is unimpressed in comparison with Singapore. They arrive at the dilapidated Japanese hospital, which has been empty since the previous physician left five months prior. The hospital is very small and ill-equipped. The hospital also contains Dr. Ibaraki’s living quarters, which are small and dank. Over the next week, Dr. Ibaraki fixes up the hospital. He meets Sister Bernice, a young nun who will be his nurse. With a little bit of work, the hospital once again looks ready for patients.
Ibaraki’s hesitation at the smalless of Broome’s Japanese neighborhood and hospital indicates that his career in Japan was much more prestigious. However, though the circumstances of the Broome Japanese neighborhood and its hospital seem bleak, his and Sister Bernice’s efforts will help create a better medical care system. This work shows the care and pride that Ibaraki and Bernice have in their medical careers.
Themes
Once the hospital resumes functioning, Sister Bernice and Dr. Ibaraki begin their working relationship. The two don’t talk much when they are alone, but Dr. Ibaraki hears her speaking warmly with patients. He realizes that she keeps quiet around him in order to make him comfortable, as his English is not yet very good. He encourages her to read during quiet moments in their shift, and the two silently bond over books. Often, when Dr. Ibaraki looks up at her, he is taken aback by her resemblance to his wife, Kayoko, on their wedding day.
Ibaraki’s realization that Sister Bernice has adjusted her behavior to make him comfortable demonstrates her kind and considerate nature. Their bond over books speaks to the fact that there are many ways to develop an emotional connection outside of talking.
Themes
