After Effects of Atomic Bombing on Hiroshima in World War 2

The book Hiroshima by John Hersey describes the after effects of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan during World War II. John Hersey personal life greatly reflects the book. He puts all his personal views and research into this book. He didn't just read about the after effects or ask people he took a trip to Japan to find out for himself what it was like after the bomb had gone off. One of the things that made this book so real to what happened in Japan is that he was alive when it happened.

John Hersey took a trip to Japan in 1945-1946 sponsored by Life magazine and the New Yorker, to write about the people of Hiroshima in the aftermath of the atomic bomb. His story sold out within hours and was popular around the world. The story was in such high demand that when Albert Einstein ordered 1000 copies of the story but even him could not get a copy. The story that he gave to the magazine was considered a instant classic and was praised for its detail in describing what happened after the atomic bomb was dropped. He spent three weeks in Japan, first doing interviews and research in Tokyo, and then traveling to Hiroshima to find and interview bomb survivors. Hersey decided not to focus on the explosion or the devastation to the city, but investigate the effects on people. Later saying "I felt I would like to write about what happened not to buildings but to human beings." Although he had interviewed many people in Hiroshima, he decided to focus on the six of the people he interviewed. He chose these six people because they had been good interviewers. "Hiroshima" was written in a dry, calm manner that struck some readers as emotionless but permitted the survivors stories to be interpreted by the readers and for Hersey's views not to take place of the readers views. Forty years after he wrote the story, Hersey said in a letter to historian Paul Boyer "The flat style was deliberate, and I still think I was right to adopt it. A high literary manner, or a show of passion, would have brought me into the story as a mediator; I wanted to avoid such mediation, so the reader's experience would be as direct as possible." He wanted the readers to feel their own emotions about the bomb being dropped not his own.

In the story he gives a very detailed description of the after math of the bomb dropping from the eyes of five characters in the book. He doesn't mention in his story if the bomb should not of been dropped or should of but just provides the details of the aftermath. Each character reflects what a normal citizen of Japan would be like and to many Americans surprise in 1940's the people of Japan seemed to be just normal people with normal lives. The story does not hold back in any of the detail. In the book it describes how peoples skin would fall off when you tried to pull them out of the water. The extensive burns where there would be no skin left just muscle and bone. John Hersey didn't want to sugar coat the bombing of Hiroshima, he wanted people to realize the full effect of the bomb.

In his final chapter which was added 40 years after the release of the news article describes the life's of the six survivors. This includes them dies shortly after the explosion from unknown sickness. This happened to many people that were exposed to the radiation of the atomic bomb. Thousands of people died due to radiation poison and still effects people. Some of the characters rebuilt their homes and lived successful and relaxing lives on government money. Some of the characters devote their lives to helping people. The doctors continue to help people with injuries or illness from the bomb and go into their own practices. Mr. Tanimoto goes to America and gives speeches about the bombing to raise money for his peace center and becomes a small celebrity.

John Hersey had a great idea to let the readers make up their own mind of what they thought about the bombing and not to let his own emotions get in the way of his description of his writing. Many people where able to paint a picture of what happened in Japan the day the bomb was dropped and end some of the racism that was happening to Japanese citizens. It made the Japanese people seem like a normal person and not a evil person that wanted to kill Americans. I think that Hersey life growing up in china and then moving to America with his family made it possible to write such a detailed and none bias story of the after effect of the Hiroshima bombing.

Paul Boyer, By the Bomb's Early Light (New York: Pantheon, 1985), p. 207.

Mary McCarthy, "The Hiroshima 'New Yorker'," Politics, Oct. 1946, p. 367. Quoted by Boyer, p. 206.