Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Code Talker, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory, Language, and Identity
The Navajo Way and the Life of the Warrior
Culture and Patriotism
War, Healing, and Peace
Summary
Analysis
The beginning of 1945 finds Ned on a tiny island called Pavavu. The island is covered with bugs, giant land crabs, and rats. But Ned and the other code talkers are kept busy creating code words related to amphibious warfare, since underwater demolition teams are being used to place explosives on enemy ships. Ned’s role exposes him to lots of information that other marines don’t know. For instance, he’s among the first to hear about new bombs that are being prepared.
Pavavu (sometimes known as Pavuvu) is in the Solomon Islands. The island’s natives largely abandoned it when Japan captured the other Solomon Islands, and the United States built an airfield there to mount raids against other Japanese-occupied islands. While working on the code here, Ned hears rumors of the preparation of atomic bombs.
Themes
All American servicemen are ordered to keep certain information secret from people back home. For example, they’re not allowed to talk about the suicide planes that the Japanese are now sending against the Allies. These planes are sent in waves called kamikazes. Thousands of Japanese people volunteer to fly kamikaze planes, and most of them miss their targets. However, propaganda makes people believe that kamikaze planes will destroy the whole American fleet.
Secrecy and censorship were a big factor during World War II, as leaders feared that certain information would cause morale to decline on the U.S. home front. And in Japan, civilians (and even the Emperor himself) were often given misleading and downright false ideas about what was really happening in the war, with devastating results.
Themes
In reality, the tide of the war is now turning. As 1945 goes on, the Japanese are clearly in retreat. But Ned is worried about what the Japanese military will do when their situation becomes hopeless. In Europe, when enemies like the Germans realized they were losing, they would often surrender peacefully. But Japanese beliefs about war are very different. The Japanese do not feel bound by the rules of the Geneva Convention. And Japanese soldiers have been raised to believe that surrender is shameful, not only for oneself, but for one’s family and nation.
Most nations had agreed to the rules of the Geneva Convention, signed in 1929 (updated versions of these agreements were negotiated after World War II). These rules provided for the humane treatment of prisoners of war and civilians. Japan, on the other hand, did not adhere to the predictable rules of warfare that Western nations generally observed, as tactics like kamikaze warfare and banzai attacks showed.
Themes
Although the objective in the Pacific Theater is to reach Japan, America’s military leaders also dread doing so, anticipating the deaths of millions in the event of an invasion. They try instituting blockades of Japan and bombing Japanese cities and factories, after dropping leaflets warning civilians to vacate. Ned fears, however, that these tactics won’t work.
The insufficiency of measures such as blockades and factory bombings eventually contributed to the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan in order to end the war.
Themes
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Ned distracts himself from his fears by spending time with other Native American marines. There are a total of 400 code talkers, but there are also at least 100 other Navajo marines. Most of those Ned meets on Pavavu are in scout companies. They are from many different tribes, but they are invariably nicknamed “Chief” by their white friends. The American Indians on Pavavu have “a sort of powwow,” sharing various ceremonial dances and songs with one another. But Ned senses that such good times won’t last long.
Ned enjoys the opportunity to meet and socialize with many different Native American marines, who serve in a variety of different roles, not just code talking. However, these marines did have experiences in common—such as being ignorantly nicknamed “Chief” by well-meaning white friends. Ned remarks elsewhere that he hated to correct his friends on this point, knowing that they meant him no insult.
Themes
