After Darkness: Chapter 6: Loveday, 1942 Summary & Analysis

As April arrives, the weather at the camp cools. Though Dr. Ibaraki prefers this weather, especially given the increasingly overly crowded tents as new internees arrive, he worries about the effect of the colder weather on the patients in the infirmary. Though Harada’s condition has improved, he is still not fully well. At night, the internees share sake, Japanese rice wine, in their tents and tell stories of the hardships of their arrests and transport to the camp.

One morning, Major Locke announces that there will be a film screening at the camp and that Mr. Mackenzie from the Kraft Walker company in Adelaide will present it. The men in the camp look forward to the screening. When Mr. Mackenzie arrives, the camp officials ask Dr. Ibaraki to translate for him because of his English skills. Dr. Ibaraki, Mayor Mori, Mr. Yamada, and Major Locke show Mr. Mackenzie around the facility. Mr. Mackenzie marvels at the work of the Japanese internees in the camps.

During the tour, the men hear a chorus of voices singing from the screening area. The voices are Johnny Chang and his friends, sitting in the chairs meant for Mr. Mackenzie and his group. Mori attempts to hide the protest from Mr. Mackenzie. Johnny Chang introduces himself to Mr. Mackenzie. He explains to Mr. Mackenzie that he was born and raised in Australia, not Japan, before Major Locke leads Mr. Mackenzie to the projector. Before he starts the presentation, Dr. Ibaraki presents the gift of a homemade chess set to Mr. Mackenzie. Dr. Ibaraki expresses that it means a lot to the internees that an Australian outside of the Red Cross has come to visit the camp. Mr. Mackenzie tells them that it is not fair for the Japanese to be locked up. As the film begins, Dr. Ibaraki looks back at Johnny, who is upset.

One day in the camp hospital, Shiobara asks Dr. Ibaraki to examine a patient’s injury. The patient, Stanley Suzuki, is a recently arrived mixed-race internee who is friends with Johnny Chang. The patient tells Ibaraki that four men attacked him in the mess hall, which Ibaraki is surprised to hear as the camp is usually peaceful. Stan confides in Ibaraki about the difficulty he has faced as an internee even though he has lived in Australia since he was six months old. He also expresses the difficulty of being only partially Japanese within the dynamics of the camp. In their conversation, Stan reveals that, according to Johnny Chang, Yamada was one of his attackers, to the disbelief of Dr. Ibaraki. Ibaraki believes that Johnny lied to Stan to sow chaos and rebellion in the camp.