Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

It's fair to say that actions are typically a better judge of character than what people say. In Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, this is certainly the case. Even though Henry's mother has supposedly disowned him, she continues to pack her son lunches and sneak him Keiko's letters because she loves him. And although Henry and Marty have a hard time communicating their love to each other, their actions—for instance, how they check-in on each other—show that the father and son love each other very much.

Family Life

In Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, it's easy to see what people are like based on how the treat their family members. Keiko's family is going through some serious turmoil during World War II, but they still treat each other with kindness and love, and they even manage to have fun when living in the internment camps. In contrast, Henry's family is Chinese American and therefore is allowed to stay in Seattle, but his father's inflexibility and traditionalist views make it so their family life is cold and uncommunicative. This is a key component to the isolation Henry feels as he makes his way through the world.