Hiroshima

by

John Hersey

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Hiroshima makes teaching easy.

Dr. Masakazu Fujii Character Analysis

A successful doctor with his own private practice hospital, and one of the six central characters of Hiroshima, Dr. Fujii is arguably the least overtly “moral” character in the book. Unlike the five other main characters, he isn’t shown to be devoted to his patients, to have powerful religious convictions, or to have a strong bond with his wife or children. Fujii is, in other words, the kind of person who lives strictly for himself. After the explosion, Fujii suffers a broken collarbone, but little other harm. He goes on to lead a financially successful life, spending his money on houses, cars, and liquor. However, Hersey gives readers good reason to believe that Fujii continues to suffer from the trauma of Hiroshima: he appears to attempt suicide in the early 1960s, and spends the rest of his life vegetative in a hospital.

Dr. Masakazu Fujii Quotes in Hiroshima

The Hiroshima quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Masakazu Fujii or refer to Dr. Masakazu Fujii. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Atomic Age, Politics, and Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

A hundred thousand people were killed by the atomic bomb, and these six were among the survivors. They still wonder why they lived when so many others died.

Related Characters: Dr. Masakazu Fujii, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Hatsuyo Nakamura, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto
Page Number: 2
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

She would say, "It was war and we had to expect it." […] Dr. Fujii said approximately the same thing about the use of the bomb to Father Kleinsorge one evening, in German: "Da ist nichts zu machen. There’s nothing to be done about it."
Many citizens of Hiroshima, however, continued to feel a hatred for Americans which nothing could possibly erase. "I see," Dr. Sasaki once said, "that they are holding a trial for war criminals in Tokyo just now. I think they ought to try the men who decided to use the bomb."

Related Characters: Dr. Masakazu Fujii (speaker), Hatsuyo Nakamura (speaker), Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki
Page Number: 89
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

As the bearers were carrying Dr. Fujii downstairs, he stirred. Swimming up toward consciousness, he apparently thought he was being rescued, somehow, after the atomic bombing. "Who are you?" he asked the bearers. "Are you soldiers?"

Related Characters: Dr. Masakazu Fujii (speaker)
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Hiroshima LitChart as a printable PDF.
Hiroshima PDF

Dr. Masakazu Fujii Quotes in Hiroshima

The Hiroshima quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Masakazu Fujii or refer to Dr. Masakazu Fujii. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Atomic Age, Politics, and Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

A hundred thousand people were killed by the atomic bomb, and these six were among the survivors. They still wonder why they lived when so many others died.

Related Characters: Dr. Masakazu Fujii, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Hatsuyo Nakamura, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto
Page Number: 2
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

She would say, "It was war and we had to expect it." […] Dr. Fujii said approximately the same thing about the use of the bomb to Father Kleinsorge one evening, in German: "Da ist nichts zu machen. There’s nothing to be done about it."
Many citizens of Hiroshima, however, continued to feel a hatred for Americans which nothing could possibly erase. "I see," Dr. Sasaki once said, "that they are holding a trial for war criminals in Tokyo just now. I think they ought to try the men who decided to use the bomb."

Related Characters: Dr. Masakazu Fujii (speaker), Hatsuyo Nakamura (speaker), Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki
Page Number: 89
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

As the bearers were carrying Dr. Fujii downstairs, he stirred. Swimming up toward consciousness, he apparently thought he was being rescued, somehow, after the atomic bombing. "Who are you?" he asked the bearers. "Are you soldiers?"

Related Characters: Dr. Masakazu Fujii (speaker)
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis: