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Jillian Spatola
FYW 101
Mr. Steck
11/22/15
Consequences to Hiroshima
The unfortunate victims of Hiroshima were left with a countless amount of extreme
difficulties after the bomb exploded. August 6, 1945 changed Japan forever. Although victims
were considered “lucky” to have survived the disastrous explosion, they were faced with
hardships that would last them a life time. These hardships included both physical and mental
permanent scarring. The way the Hiroshima victims acted in Hersey’s Hiroshima, was extremely
brave and courageous, which I commend them for, but I know I would not have acted the same
way if something like this were to happen to me now.
After the explosion, the tasks that the Hiroshima victims were left to deal with were
unimaginable. Although they were survivors, they could not just walk away from the scene as if
they were untouched and could carry on with their normal lives. Hersey gives us the impression
that all of the people affected by Hiroshima were extremely brave and came together to help the
people around them. Even though they may have been hurt with something considered a minor
issue (broken arm, leg, scrapes, etc), they were expected to help those around them that were
suffering worse. These people had to be quick with their actions and prioritize who would benefit
from the most help, or if it was too late to save someone. Even if they saw that their family or
friends had not made it out alive, they still worked to try to help as many victims as they possibly
could which I believe must have been the hardest part of this whole ordeal. Even if your husband
was lying next to you dead, you did not have time to stop and grieve for him since your
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neighbors around you needed your help. The most important thing these people could do was to
stay positive throughout everything. This especially applied to the few doctors that survived who
were the most help to these wounded victims. If they gave up hope, more lives would have been
lost.
These doctors truly acted heroically. They could have fled the city just like everyone else
but decided to stay and help the strangers around them. They were facing multiple risks by
doing this such as another bomb being dropped in the same area or health diseases from
spreading germs. Since they lacked medical equipment such as gloves, they were dealing with
blood that may be infected with diseases and were putting themselves at risk. However, all of
these things did not come to mind for these brave doctors since their only instinct was to help the
victimized.
