So Far from the Bamboo Grove: by Yoko Kawashima Watkins-Response 1 [chpts 1-3]

The first reaction I got when I read the first three chapters in So Far from the Bamboo Grove, I felt scared and a little grossed out. I was scared for the Kawashima’s because one little wrong move, could bring them to a bad result; maybe even resulting in death. If they weren’t careful to not let the Korean’s know who they were, they would be captured and who knows hat would happen to them. I was also a little grossed out, because in chapter 2, Ko, Yoko, and their mother boarded the train that would take them to Seoul. That train had no toilet, and they had to use little tubs instead. Also, since no one except for the Kawashima’s had any water to drink, one woman actually drank from the tub in which the people on the box car had used the bathroom in. When little Toshi-chan died, the train people just threw him out the door. The same thing happened to the other people that were found dead.
When the Kawashima’s board the train [in their case, a boxcar] they saw that there were many sick people, who needed a lot of help and attention from the nurse or doctor. Yoko, especially, is sort of freaked out when she sees all these injured or ill people in one little boxcar, and she would have to stay in the same place with them. But then she grows to sort of care for them, and when people were thirsty, she gave them a little water to sip from her own canteen. Plus, when the nurse(s) is busy, the three Kawashima women help take care of them. They also give them a little food and water. This shows everybody else on the train, including the Koreans, that they are kindhearted and helpful to people in need, even if the person is a complete stranger to them.
When two Korean communists come and check the train for “healthy Japanese” called the Kawashima’s, the Korean medic woman helped them escape from being caught. She even said, “You have helped us. Don’t worry, we will help you.” The ironic thing about this, is that the Korean medics knew full well that they would be executed if they were caught helping a Japanese escape.
Since their previous way of getting into Seoul was not possible anymore, due to an enemy aircraft bombing the train, Ko, Yoko, and their mother have to walk by foot in order to get to Seoul. During the long walk of about 45 miles, Yoko feels as if Ko was being to bossy to her, ordering her around and telling her to “don’t talk, just walk.” For example, when Yoko, Ko, and their mother have to cross the train rails in order to get across the river, Yoko thinks that Ko is being mean since she was fr ahead of Yoko and their mother. Then a few seconds later, Yoko feels dizzy, and Ko suddenly tells them to “stay where you are”, and Ko comes and piggybacks Yoko the rest of the way across. But when Ko is not ordering Yoko around or scolding at Yoko, Yoko calls her “Honorable Sister.” Basically, when Ko is being “mean” to Yoko, Yoko calls her “Honorable Sister.”