The main character in the novel is in some ways like myself. Mr. Shizuma is a person that is intrigued by many things and likes to see what reaction people have from any action. Throughout the novel he feels the need to go to different parts of the city and surrounding communities in order to see the effects of the unknown bomb. Mr. Shizuma was not only interested in what happened to the people of the community but he was also interested in finding out what the weapon used was called and made out of. There were different names given to the bomb throughout the book and he sums up the names in one paragraph. The name of the bomb had already undergone a number of changes, from the initial "new weapon" through "new-type bomb," "secret weapon," "special new-type bomb," to "special high-capacity bomb." That day, I learned for the first time to call it an "atomic bomb." (Black Rain 282) The importance of the name of the bomb may seem ineffectual, but he seems to dwell on finding out what caused this type of destruction. Something else that Mr. Shizuma wants to do is remember every little detail about what happens to everything from what angle the house was on after the bomb to what his wife cooked for dinner with the food rationing. He even likes to write how people cured themselves of radiation sickness and what the burns and other injuries look and act like. These things are like myself in the fact that he does not like to forget what things are like, wants to see first hand what the effects are, and is very interested in finding information about new things that he has never seen before. He also likes to help people greatly such as his constant wanderings looking for coal for his community. If you were depended on would you help your community? I think so.The theme that is very meaningful to me is that war hurts two different parts of a country. The first is the military, which was not really talked about, and then there are the ...
