Tears of Autumn

375 Words2 Pages
In the short story, Tears of Autumn by Yoshiko Uchida, you follow the story of a Japanese woman named Hana. She sets out to find her newly arranged husband in America. She starts in Oka Village, Japan where she convinces her dad to let her marry this stranger who apparently owns a store in America. Then she rides a boat and crosses the ocean, landing on Angel Island where she finally meets her fiancé. In Japan Hana was smothered by her mother because she was the youngest child and wasn’t married yet, so she thought leaving for America was a good idea. She ends up missing the many beauties of Japan. There are the juicy persimmons which cover the trees along the coast. There are also the beautiful fields of golden rice that lead up to the towering mountains. The air is crisp and the mushrooms are ready for plucking. Reveling in the memories was a pastime for Hana on the boat. Even with the memories of her homeland Hana couldn’t escape the loud and rocky boat. The top deck was wet and filled with the smell of saltwater from the ever churning ocean. The waft of dead fish below deck burns her nose. Even the food is foul enough to make her feel like vomiting. These miserable conditions made Hana rethink whether or not America was a good idea still. Just when she thought the worst was over she reached Angel Island, the last step to America and freedom. On Angel Island many other Japanese woman and immigrants were lined up outside of buildings. The town was not what Hana expected at all. It wasn’t in the slightest bit American. The buildings reminded her of Oka Village, with its old fashioned design. The atmosphere was of a brooding and depressing matter. Person after person were checked for diseases or for anything that might harm America. She walked out of the buildings finally finished when she sees her new husband. He’s holding a black umbrella dripping
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