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 island of Iwo Jima, 600 miles south of Tokyo, will be the site of the largest Marine assault ever assembled. Iwo Jima is needed by the Allies in order to create an emergency landing field for bombers making runs to Japan. It’s a small island, and most believe that it will be easy to conquer. But Japanese soldiers are dug deep into caves and tunnels—16 miles of them, in fact. The Japanese plan no longer includes banzai attacks. Instead, they are going to stay dug in.
Iwo Jima is a volcanic Japanese island which was one of the last steps in the Allies’ island-hopping campaign toward Japan itself. Because of its strategic importance to Japan, however, it would include some of the bloodiest fighting in the entire war.
Themes
