Heart of a Samurai

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Parts 1-2

Part 3

Part 4-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Samurai and Samurai Culture

Samurai and samurai culture are the titular motifs of the novel and represent Manjiro’s dreams as well as his desire to change. Manjiro is a poor fisherman unable to become a samurai as they are nobility. But as he explores and experiences unexpected things, he develops confidence. This motif supports the theme of The Importance of Openness to New Experiences, as Manjiro’s commitment to change and experience new things opens the door for him to become a samurai at the novel’s end.

Through this motif, Preus explores the values Manjiro holds and the culture into which he was born. Part of the motif is the disconnection between Manjiro’s ideal and the reality of samurai behavior. While Manjiro is aware that most samurai “beat up on poor peasants like us” (13), he believes that he can be different. Change is integral to the motif; not only does Manjiro need to change to become a samurai, but he also wants to change the image of what a samurai is. The samurai code of honor shapes Manjiro’s view of the world. While he was not born into the samurai class, the Whitfields offer him the chance to be a loyal, heroic adventurer who also succeeds in school. Manjiro grows into the samurai he dreams of being long before he has the title to match.

The Ocean

The ocean is a symbol of the unknown and adventure, supporting the theme of Self-Actualization Through Connection with Nature. The ocean takes Manjiro to unfamiliar places and represents things that are larger than him. At first, the ocean is hostile and unfamiliar; within the first few pages, it nearly kills Manjiro and his companions. Manjiro has little self-confidence and minimal life experience. The entire world, not just the ocean, feels large and terrifying. Manjiro’s sense of space is also tied to the sea. When he is on the John Howland, the narrator notes, “The sea was bigger than he’d ever imagined. And now he realized that the sparkling path of light that often glittered on the water, and which he had always imagined was leading them toward home, was actually leading them away” (59). Manjiro’s growing awareness of the size of the ocean forces him to reckon with his place in the world; exploring the seas and accepting their wildness allows him to realize that he is small but strong enough to venture into the unknown.

As he grows more courageous and asserts his values, his understanding of the ocean and respect for it grows in parallel.

American and Japanese Clothing

American and Japanese clothes form a recurring symbol of the differences between the cultures. Manjiro and the other fishermen must adapt to Western clothing: “He had never seen buttons before. None of them had. They were accustomed to tying their clothes together with belts, sashes, or ties” (33-34). Supporting the theme of The Conditions for Inter-Cultural Understanding, the Japanese fishermen must adapt to Western clothes, and their clothes are thrown out, marking their separation from their former culture. Manjiro learns to wear Western clothing but keeps elements of his Japanese heritage, like his tenugui, or headband.

Clothes additionally represent Manjiro’s adoption of two cultures. The combination of Japanese and Western clothing confuses and scares the Japanese fishermen he meets; he belongs to neither culture entirely. When he returns to Japan, he notices the ways his clothing has changed: “He rubbed the soft cloth of the headband that had once been rough and stiff but had been worn so smooth as to be almost like silk. He felt as torn and tattered as that old cloth” (254). Clothes symbolize the ways Manjiro matured because of his adventures and thus represent the theme of The Importance of Openness to New Experiences. When he returns to Japan, he sometimes wears a combination of Japanese and Western clothing, symbolizing his comfort in both cultures.