The effect of the elements (environment) had an affect on the life of people in the camp. The weather required the people to assume a new lifestyle in order to survive the latest environmental curveball. Rain would leave things muddy and traveling to different places in the camp more difficult. Getas (traditional wooden clogs) were used to get through the rain soaked earth, “Homemade getas took place of rationed shoes and boots. Because of the mud puddles, some people built their getas a foot high.”(p. 161) I wonder how they felt about using their getas in order to get through their day. Did they feel smart, because they already knew of a simple solution to get through the mud? Or did they not like the reminder of why they were put in the camps in the first place?
Miné Okubo mentions on a number of occasions the strong wind at Topaz. On all occasions the wind is adverse and is usually harmful to the people, strongly blowing into their faces picking up the alkaline soil. On page 183 the climate of Topaz throughout the year is described. The harsh winters and summers would cause problems that all the people in the camp would have to get over. If it was the heat, they had to choose to stay cool outside, with the bugs or stay indoors in the stifling heat. There was no third choice, only one or the other. All summer they would have to deal with such decisions along with trying to keep themselves busy or entertained. I don’t think I could go through that for a whole year; it would be very difficult to do. I feel bad for the ones who didn’t make it out, dying in the confined area of the camp.
There are many factors that effected who the Japanese Americans became and weather is definitely one of the more influential factors. I didn't think about it until reading this but the weather changed how they lived. A lot of Japanese Americans must not have packed proper attire for the camps because they really did not know what they were in for judging from the readings. The emotional toll of the near unbearable heat of the dessert must have been broken many people down emotionally.
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