Hatsuyo Nakamura Character Analysis in Hiroshima

A widowed tailor, a mother of three, and one of the six central characters of Hiroshima. Mrs. Nakamura instinctively runs to take care of her three small children in the instant after the atomic blast, eventually guiding them to Asano Park, Hiroshima’s designated emergency area during the war. After the bombing, Nakamura struggles to support herself and her children—like so many hibakusha (survivors of the explosion), she’s discriminated against and generally viewed as an outcast. Nevertheless, Nakamura manages to find work in a chemical factory, and she succeeds in raising three happy, successful children.

Hatsuyo Nakamura Quotes in Hiroshima

The Hiroshima quotes below are all either spoken by Hatsuyo Nakamura or refer to Hatsuyo Nakamura. 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

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: Hatsuyo Nakamura, Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, Dr. Masakazu Fujii, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge

Page Number and Citation: 2

Explanation and Analysis:

In the first paragraphs of his book on Hiroshima, Hersey sketches out the format of his work: by examining the lives of six ordinary people living in Hiroshima on the day of the explosion, Hersey will paint a vivid picture of what it must have been like in the city on August 6, 1945. At the time, Hersey’s method of reporting on Hiroshima was almost unprecedented: journalists tended to report on major events like the bombing using a more removed, objective style of writing. It’s worth thinking a little more closely about how Hersey came to interview these six survivors Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate e

The reflex of a mother set her in motion toward her children. She had taken a single step (the house was 1,350 yards, or three quarters of a mile, from the center of the explosion) when something picked her up and she seemed to fly into the next room-over the raised sleeping platform

Related Characters: Hatsuyo Nakamura

Page Number and Citation: 8

Explanation and Analysis:

In the seconds following the detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Hatsuyo Nakamura felt an immediate, maternal instinct to protect her children. Watching from the window of her house, she saw a bright light flash through the sky, and then she turned to guard her children from danger. The passage sets the tone for the following three chapters of the book: by and large, the six main characters in Hiroshima are remarkably compassionate and selfless; they feel a strong instinct to take care of other people, whether those other people are their church congregants, their children, or their medical Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusanti

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), Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge

Page Number and Citation: 89

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Hersey conveys some of the characters’ responses to the politics and ethics of the Hiroshima bombing. Some of the characters treat the Hiroshima bombing as an elemental tragedy, almost like a natural disaster. Others blame the United States government for the bombing, and demand that the leaders responsible be tried for war crimes. Still others adopt a stoic acceptance of the disaster—rather than dwell on blame, they try to move forward with their lives. Historians, journalists, and literary critics have debated the passage’s depiction of the Japanese response to the Hiroshima bombing. To begin with, Hersey makes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto volupt

The bombing almost seemed a natural disaster—one that it had simply been her bad luck, her fate (which must be accepted), to suffer.

Related Characters: Hatsuyo Nakamura

Page Number and Citation: 93

Explanation and Analysis:

In the final chapter of the book, written forty years after the bombing, Hersey shows how the six main characters from his original article tried to move on with their lives. First, he writes about Mrs. Nakamura. Hersey suggests that Mrs. Nakamura tried to “make peace” with the memory of Hiroshima by accepting the bombing as a kind of natural disaster, like an earthquake or a hurricane. Throughout the chapter, Hersey suggests that the survivors of Hiroshima managed to live relatively happy, fulfilling lives because they found ways of coming to terms with their rage, confusion, and guilt about Hiroshima. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi nece

Hatsuyo Nakamura Character Timeline in Hiroshima

The timeline below shows where the character Hatsuyo Nakamura appears in Hiroshima. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the same time, Dr. Masakazu Fujii is reading the paper in his hospital; Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura is standing in her kitchen; Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, a German priest, is sitting in his... (full context)

...is coming for Hiroshima and advise civilians to go to their “safe areas.” Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, a tailor’s widow, gathers her three small children—a boy named Toshio, a girl named Yaeko,... (full context)

Around seven am, Nakamura wakes up to the sound of the siren. She runs to the home of Mr.... (full context)

As Nakamura watches the man building the fire lanes, light flashes across the sky. Instinctively, she runs... (full context)

Hatsuyo Nakamura crawls through the ruins of her house, toward her youngest child, Myeko. As she moves,... (full context)

Nakamura’s neighbor, Mrs. Nakamoto (wife of Mr. Nakamoto), runs to the house and asks Nakamura if... (full context)

...former head of the Catholic priests’ Neighborhood Association is a man named Yoshida. As Mrs. Nakamura and her children, along with Father Kleinsorge and Mr. Fukai, run through the streets, Yoshida... (full context)

...The park is far enough from the bombsite that its flora is still alive. Mrs. Nakamura and her children arrive at the park and later become so nauseated that they begin... (full context)

On August 12, the Nakamura family goes to a nearby town to stay with Mrs. Nakamura’s sister-in-law. There, Mrs. Nakamura... (full context)

On the morning of August 20, Mrs. Nakamura complains of nausea and notices that her hair is falling out—a few days later, she... (full context)

...pills, to no avail—his condition won’t improve, and his wounds refuse to heal. However, Mrs. Nakamura and Myeko, her daughter, seem to improve. Toshio and Yaeko lose some hair, probably because... (full context)

Mrs. Nakamura has lost all her savings in the bombings, but she is able to petition the... (full context)

One year after the bombing of Hiroshima, “Toshiko Sasaki was a cripple, Mrs. Nakamura was destitute, Father Kleinsorge was back in the hospital,” and “Dr. Sasaki was not capable... (full context)

Many Hiroshimans seems “indifferent about the ethics of using the bomb.” Mrs. Nakamura says of the explosion, “It is war and we had to expect it.” However, others,... (full context)

One wonders how the children who survived the bombing will remember the day. Toshio Nakamura writes an essay for his teacher, in which he describes going for a swim the... (full context)

After the Hiroshima bombing, Hatsuyo Nakamura struggles to support her children. She repairs her sewing machine and earns enough to support... (full context)

...against the hibakusha, because they are believed to be sick and weak. During these years, Nakamura often tells herself, “It can’t be helped,” and maintains a strange sense of her own... (full context)

In 1951, Nakamura is assigned to live in a brand-new house. This enables her to take better care... (full context)

...pain, and in 1957, the government passes a comprehensive Atomic Bomb Victims Medical Care Law. Nakamura is now eligible for various free medical treatments, and—later on—monthly allowances. Over time, Nakamura’s children... (full context)

In 1966, at fifty-five, Nakamura retires from the chemical factory. She’s earned a decent wage, and her children aren’t financially... (full context)

In the 1960s and 1970s, Japan’s economy is on the rise. Nakamura begins to receive more money from the government. In the fortieth year after the bombing,... (full context)

Hatsuyo Nakamura Character Analysis

Hatsuyo Nakamura Quotes in Hiroshima

Chapter 1 Quotes

Chapter 4 Quotes

Chapter 5 Quotes

Hatsuyo Nakamura Character Timeline in Hiroshima