We Are Not Free

Mary, 16. October 1943.

The Katsumotos arrive in Tule Lake. The camp is twice as big as Topaz, but there is also a lot more security. Mary Katsumoto, Stan’s younger sister, joins a Japanese class on orders from her father because the regular school is delayed as more families arrive at the camp. While in class one day, Mary meets a boy named Kiyoshi Tani when he comes into the classroom to announce a bonfire some protestors built outside.

Violence is an everyday event at Tule Lake, and it causes great tension that spreads even to the Katsumotos, especially between Mary and her father. After one particularly bad fight that Mary has with her father, she and Stan break the windows of the administration building with rocks. The next day, Mary and her father are escorted to the funeral of a farmworker who was killed in a truck accident. At the funeral, chaos breaks out when the power is cut. Mary’s father apologizes to her and says, “We’re going to be alright, Mary” (193).