In the articles Reconstructing the Hiroshima Maidens by David Serlin and The Veteran, His Wife, and Their Mothers by Rebecca Jo Plant we see an evaluation of two different types of reconstruction in the post war world. Serlin writes his article about a group of Japanese women who were severely injured when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and their road to recovery with the help of U.S. citizens. Plant’s article focuses on the mental rehabilitation of the American soldier returning to war and the problems that were created and solved by his wife and mother.
Serlin begins his article by explaining how the injuries and disfigurements that these women suffered were not only physical but also caused severe emotional damage. In the Japanese culture when something bad happens to a member of a family it is seen as a punishment upon the family as a whole for some past wrongdoing so when these women were disfigured by an atomic explosion they were kept behind closed doors in embarassment by their families. Serlin argues that being seen this way by not only the community but also their own families caused extreme emotional damage to the women. As I read Serlin’s article I can pick up on the subtle phrases that he uses to shed a positive light on the United states when in this case the U.S. was the force that caused the problem for these women. Serlin explains that these women were advocated for by a Japanese Methodist preacher, this shows that while the traditional people in Japan at the time shunned these women a man educated in the west and preaching a modern western religion was standing up for these women. “In 1951 Tanimoto (the preacher) was introduced to Norman Cousins, the influential editor of the Saturday review of Literature.” (Serlin 59) Tanimoto lobbied Cousins to raise money for these women to be transported to the United States where they could receive the reconstructive plastic surgery they would need to return to a normal life. Cousins eventually succeeded in securing the funds and housing (they were to be sponsored and housed by Quaker families in New York) necessary for the Hiroshima Maidens to make the trip to the U.S. Serlin makes abundantly clear that the Maidens were forced to travel so far for this surgery because the art of plastic surgery had not yet been mastered by Japanese surgeons. Serlin was obviously trying to show the plight of the Hiroshima Maidens through his article, but while doing this he subtly defended the United Ststes by showing that the country was influential in helping the reconstruction of not only Hiroshima itself but also the people affected by the atomic bomb. By doing this he attempted to help the U.S. save face.
In her article The Veteran, His Wife and Their Mothers Rebecca Jo Plant gives a different perspective on the plight of the veteran returning home by looking into the viewpoint of his wife and his mother. By focusing on the feelings and problems women experienced at the homecoming of their husbands or sons Plant allows the reader to develop a different view of the Returning soldier. Plant argues that women played a very large role in reintegrating veterans into civilian life and that they struggled with their own problems as a result of this burden being placed on them. “Their maternal ministrations, when “tempered with sexuality, allowing for masculine recovery and resexualization,” enabled veterans to come to terms with their injuries and move beyond their wartime experiences.” (Plant 2) Plant argues that this system of recovery for veterans objectified women and allowed men to come back from war and force women back into a household life when they had moved out of the house and into the workforce while the men were overseas.
In these two very different articles the reader can see some similarities in arguments. Both authors are battling with a touchy subject while trying to make an argument. They have to use underlying messages and subtitles in order to get their message across.
file:///C:/Users/Hunter18/Downloads/D%20Serlin,%20Reconstructing%20the%20Hiroshima%20Maidens,%20in%20Replaceable%20You-%20Engineering%20the%20Body%20in%20Postwar%20America%20(2004).pdf
http://history.ucsd.edu/_files/faculty/RPlantVeteransFinal.pdf
I think you make a really good point about how Tanimoto really advocated his life to help these women. He worked hard for years to help them get some stability and to stop being shunned by their families. I feel as though Tanimoto is a very intelligent man, because he realized that the country that destroyed cities from his country were the only ones who could help save these women and let them lead normal lives. Your second article sounds interesting and I do agree that women played a big role in helping men get back to leading their normal lives. In that day and age women were the center of the household so I can see where that is true. I also think the arguments are similar and also different because the Hiroshima Maidens are undergoing physical surgery to fix themselves and veterans are undergoing mental evaluation or similar things to try and piece their lives back together. Ultimately they both are searching for the same goal; to be normal again.
Bringing in the second article about veterans and their spouses was very interesting. you make a good point about how the veterans coming back forced women back into the home as the men sought to reclaim control of the workforce
Its interesting the point of view you bring about the women’s role. When many people think of women’s role during World War II they think of Rosie the Riveter and how women replaced the male work force while they were away fighting. We see the rise of independent women however following the war and the return of men, many women were replaced and that is really the last you hear of the situation. You hear that the role of women were to be good house wives.
It is a unique point of view that the women were the ones helping men re-intergrate and be re-habilitated. After much reflection it makes sense because men who have a woman or are seeking a woman will see them as a steady rock, someone who will be there for the remainder of their life and that in conjunction with the intimacy they share creates a solid bond. This bond is what is described here.