Dash

“Things might be better, now that more time had passed. Maybe there’d be an end to the mean notes in her desk and funny looks in the hall.”

Larson alludes to Pearl Harbor. She references the attack and the racism that follows, but she doesn’t mention it explicitly. It’s clear that something (Pearl Harbor) has changed how Mitsi is treated. She also foreshadows what’s in store for Mitsi, as the “mean notes” and “funny looks” don’t stop. Even without mentioning the word racism, this quote links to the theme of Racism and Adversity.

“What happened on December 7 hadn’t changed the way he felt about Mitsi. Not one whit. Why couldn’t it be the same for people?”

Larson continues to use allusion to Pearl Harbor, referring to it as “December 7.” She reinforces the symbolism of Dash as representing stability. Pearl Harbor didn’t make him distant and racist; he is as constant as ever.

“In the movies, the only people who got fingerprinted were criminals. Not grandmothers.”

Larson uses juxtaposition and humor to convey the disheartening experience Mitsi has of taking Obaachan to the Registration Room. She puts grandmothers next to criminals, and the comparison produces such a sharp difference that it’s funny. This quote links to the institutional aspect of Racism and Adversity.