Nisei Daughter

In preparation for “E day, evacuation day,” Mr. Itoi wraps up his business affairs, while Benko packs up the suitcases (165). The family receive typhoid injections before entering the camp.

When the bus arrives to take them to Camp Puyallup, Sone notices that “everyone was dressed casually, each according to his idea of where he would be going” (169). The outfits range from stylish ski clothes to fishing jackets and hiking boots.

Camp Puyallup is a mass-organized affair with basic accommodations. The family are assigned apartment 2-1-A, which is one room the size of a living room. They arrange partitions between the rooms for privacy and are subject to curfews. In order to deal with “the carnivorous Puyallup mud,” Sone asks her friend, Chris, to send galoshes, but the old people have a more inventive idea and reintroduce getas, Japanese platform shoes (180).

Sone wonders why she was not given a fair trial and why she is “behind a fence like a criminal” (177). She wonders whether she is even an American anymore, because she is certainly not Japanese, like her parents.

Camp life is organized, and there are even employment opportunities. Henry works at the camp hospital, while Sone does a boring job in the Personnel Department, something she sticks with because the Administration Building is the only one with adequate heating.