Zeke Sennosuke is another Japanese character in the novel who experiences misunderstanding. Zeke is a Japanese immigrant or in those times stated as an ‘ Alien ‘ who took refuge in Australia, who hopes of a better life for himself and his family to come. A lot like Mitsy, Zeke is also trying to find where he assimilates, as a Japanese citizen or an Australian citizen to be. “We all noticed a change in Misty and her father as the talk of the Japan and Japanese aims intensified”(pg 34). Zeke had not seen “Japan for forty years”(pg 34) but still after all this time his incapability to assimilate and be accepted by the Australians resulted in Zeke giving up in trying to fit in with rest of the citizens in Broome. Zeke has also many hidden values which no-one quite misunderstood, also was a very different man to what people seemed, many were judging his looks which means some people didn’t understand the saying “ Never judge a book by its cover”. Zeke had saved Hart from drowning, which sadly ended his life. Zeke payed his life to save another which was his Boss’s son. “He was there in my head whenever I slept and whenever I woke, His strong arm, his ceaseless fortifying voice in my ear”(pg 46). Zeke’s strong personal qualities and his inability to assimilate are the topics which are misunderstood throughout the novel.
The Sennosuke' names had to be changed because their original names seemed "…too foreign to our ears."(pg 7 ) The Japanese living area is Chinatown shows the reader that perhaps whites have put the Japanese into their own little area. Chinatown contains houses that are far smaller which is sort of to replicate the lifestyle in Japan and to other Asian immigrants and in general with little fortunes unlike the white Australians. But the novel shows that the white Australians may of been scared that they were ‘spies’ “ The Jap’s have been spying on us for years” (pg 28) so maybe that racially abusing them was the white Australian act in defence?. Also shows the misunderstanding of all the Japanese people living in Australia during World War II.
With a war against the Japanese was the trigger or the spark for racism in Australia, its was just like a big bomb, the Japanese and Australians living together were the ordinance, and the war was just a detonator for the bomb to explode and racism to happen . All throughout the novel examples of separation or out casting are presented. The Japanese are were divided from white Australians. First of all Broome has a "Register of Aliens"( pg 7 ),” this was a register or list that kept track of foreign people that were living in Australia”**. This disguised that foreigners were seen as aliens and that they didn't really belong in Australia, because of their looks, it was different to what Australia were used to seeing, it was almost as they were from another country or world, therefore they were stereo typed as ‘Aliens’, also the Asian race, were mostly named as ‘SEFS’ in Australia which was a acronym for ‘Squinty Eyed Freaks’, which was regarding to their eyes, it was mean’t to be an offensive saying like to Indigenous people were called ‘ Abos’, Europeans were named as ‘ Wogs’. These names were giving the miss leading information of the foreigner’s , making them as an enemy or someone who shouldn’t belong in Australia.
In conclusion, the times of the 40’s and 50’s it was a hard time for foreigner’s trying to assimilate in Australia with the rest of the population because of their different ways and looks which lead to them being stereo typed, out casted, grouped and being verbally abused by the white Australians, which may of been as an act of defence.
** http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/publications/fact-sheets/fs186.aspx
@ from class study quotes