She's a part of something greater than herself. She now understands how important these stories are, not just to her but to everyone. When Akiko tells her daughter about her time during the war, she gives Beccah the final key to understanding her identity Beccah is the product of her mother's time in the camp. She's proud to be Asian American, often wishing she knew more about her heritage. Heritageīeccah has grown up avidly listening to her mother talk about her native Korean culture. Although she is a free woman in a safe place, she leads a solitary and painful life having kept her past a secret for so many years before her death. This long train of abuse has caused Akiko no end of trouble. Eventually she wishes he was dead, and he does die. He uses her silence as an excuse to get whatever she wants from him. Broken in spirit, she refuses to talk to him most of the time. In order to escape Japan, she marries an American named Bradley. She claims that her spirit died in that camp and only her body lives on today. As the years go by, she gradually gives up. Every day she services hundreds of filthy, vile men who infect her with diseases, rape her, and beat her.

Living in a Japanese military recreation camp, she is used as a prostitute for the duration of the war.

She's too young to resist or even comprehend what's about to happen to her. When she's just a child, she's sold into slavery to the Japanese by her older sister. AbuseĪkiko's life has been one long train of abuse to which she never was given a choice. She finds comfort in her work, believing that all of her suffering has purchased for her a greater understanding and connection to the spirit world. In fact she works as a psychic/medium at a local cafe, performing seances and trances for people. They bring her peace and a sense of meaning.

In order to cope with her trauma she often retreats into her spiritualist practices. Akiko found it impossible to be intimate and vulnerable after her time in the camp, having long ago abandoned her sense of personal identity and value. As Beccah recalls, she has often resented her mom for being emotionally unavailable during her childhood. Written by people who wish to remain anonymousĪkiko has experienced so much trauma in her life that it's a miracle she can still function. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

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