Desert Exile

Here, the Uchida family departs on a train through the desert towards a new camp in Topaz, Utah. Uchida recounts struggles experienced as Topaz opens, the Army’s poor preparations, and the spirited, determined internees’ attempts to establish community in their dust-caked camp city.

The train departs as friends wish internees bound for Utah luck. Passing the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, Uchida reflects: “We could still see the lights of the bridge sparkling across the dark water, still serene and magnificent and untouched by the war” (104). The image symbolizes hope, a literal bridge between wartime and peace: “I continued to look out long after the bridge had vanished in the darkness, unutterably saddened by this fleeting glimpse of all that home meant” (104).

When the train stops during the three-day journey, internees, guarded by Military Police, stretch or run. On one break Uchida sees her old friend Helen, who voluntarily relocated, so is not interned. Courteous waiters serve food, inspiring passengers in Uchida’s car to take up a collection for tips. On the second night, the train passes the Great Salt Lake near Salt Lake City, which “seemed an almost magical sight. […] We all gazed at the vast glistening body of water, forgetting for a few moments our tired, aching bodies” (105).