Here are some possible writing topics for When the Emperor was Divine:
1. Some people have labeled Otsuka's style as minimalist because of what one Eng 217 student on Wednesday described as the "monotone" feel of the narration. Certainly, the emotional impact of the writing seems muted or concealed under a surface layer, especially after reading Push which had an opposite style/feel. Do you agree that Otsuka's style is minimalist? What is the effect of her style and why do you think the author employs this particular style? How does it relate to the novel's content, the characters, etc.?
2. Beneath a monotone surface of writing lurk powerful emotions: shame, fear, resentment, anger, etc. Where do we see these emotions erupt and what does that show about the bigger picture of the characters' lives and feelings?
3. There are a lot of interactions between humans and animals (ex. White Dog, the bird, the horses, the turtle). What is the significance of these interactions? What is the author suggesting about humanity?
4. Why do you think the main characters are unnamed in the book? How does that detail add to the author's project? Compare the lack of names to people and places that are named in the book and see what is emphasized in this comparison.
5. Comment on the silences or the things left unsaid in the novel. What do the gaps reveal about what is being hidden or ignored and why?
6. Color is important in real and symbolic ways throughout the writing. Look at the various uses of color and think about what their importance is. What do they illuminate? Also, compare the use of whiteness and colors to the idea of American vs. Japanese identity.
7. Track the ways that the characters change through the experience of being in the internment camps. How are the family members different people when they come back? Have they traded roles in some cases? How do you think they will/can go on with their lives, go back to "normal"? What is the effect of the camps on the identity of the characters? Say where you see identity being shaped, altered, crushed, etc.
8. Explore further the themes of lying, truth, and fantasy that we began to cover in class discussion. How does the end of the book speak to these topics?
9. Relate this novel to the idea of the American Dream and the stories we tell about our nation in American history.
10. Why do you think the author seeks to break the silence surrounding this historical event by telling this story? (Her mother and grandmother lived in an internment camp but the author heard/knew little of their personal experiences.) How might this novel also relate to the historical events of 9/11 (considering the novel was published in 2003)?
