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Chapter 7
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Buddha in the Attic, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gender and Autonomy
Racism, Assimilation, and Cultural Identity
Community and Inter-Asian Prejudice
The Power of Collectivism
Summary
Analysis
Following their Japanese neighbors’ removal, the white neighbors notice that their town feels different. They look at the empty, boarded up homes, and although the mayor promises that the Japanese families are safe, theories about what really happened run rampant. Saddened by the sudden departure of their friends, white children are devastated, lash out against their parents, and find themselves anxious and afraid. Although some white community members are suspicious of their old Japanese neighbors, most believe that the Japanese were docile people who couldn’t have posed a real threat.
The final chapter marks another important switch in narration: the white townsfolk take over and narrate the conclusion of the novel. With the Japanese American community gone, the white townsfolk begin to realize that their Japanese neighbors made the town what it was. It’s peculiar, however, that the white townsfolk claim that they mostly believe that their Japanese neighbors were harmless, considering that the white townsfolk had a history of mistreating and even violently tormenting them. Additionally, the white American children, who have yet to internalize racism as fully as their parents, showcase their innocence as they mourn the disappearance of their friends, demonstrating that racism is something that is learned.
Themes
As weeks pass and the Japanese community members are nowhere to be found, the town begins to feel as though they never existed, and “exotic” Japanese items begin to make their way into some homes. When a few letters arrive from old Japanese neighbors, the white townsfolk resume asking questions, demanding to know whether their Japanese neighbors were guilty and what has happened to them. However, the mayor provides no answers, and life moves on; new neighbors move in, including poor and rambunctious “country folk,” and the white townspeople miss their quiet Japanese neighbors.
The ease with which the white townsfolk move on from the disappearance of their Japanese neighbors reveals that they never quite viewed their Japanese neighbors as equals. Here, the white townsfolk’s opinion of their old Japanese neighbors isn’t particularly negative, but they do pick and choose what aspects of their Japanese neighbors that they like, rather than accepting them fully. For example, the white townsfolk admit that they appreciated that their Japanese neighbors were quiet and polite. Little do they know that their Japanese neighbors acted so politely because they felt endangered.
Themes
The first autumn since the Japanese community’s removal arrives, and the white townsfolk note the absence of Japanese cultural celebrations and festivals. They oscillate between feeling a tangible sense of loss that their old Japanese neighbors are no longer in town and feeling unbothered and capable of carrying on. As winter comes, the white townsfolk find that they can no longer quite remember their Japanese neighbors’ names or faces, and even the children have stopped asking after their Japanese friends. By the time a full year has passed, the town has moved on, and new people have taken over previously Japanese-owned businesses. The white townspeople no longer discuss their old neighbors, though they sometimes hear talk of Japanese cities sprouting in other parts of the country.
While the Japanese women’s narration often gives way to highlight specific experiences of individual people in the community, it’s noteworthy that the same doesn’t occur with the final chapter’s switch of narrator. As a whole, the white townsfolk are able to move on and forget their old Japanese neighbors, showing that they might have cared for them to a certain extent, but not enough to be legitimately troubled by their unexplained disappearance. In this, the novel highlights their casual racism.
Themes
