Study Questions &
Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Discuss the
role of nature in Hiroshima. In what ways do naturally occurring
events, such as the weather, affect the city in the wake of the
atomic bomb?
2. Do you think
Hersey favors some of the six characters, or presents some of them
in a better light than others? Why or why not?
3. Discuss the
role of family in Hiroshima. How do family ties relate to community
ties in the book?
4. Does Hersey's
Hiroshima focus on the physical damage done to the city and its
people at the expense of examining the psychological horrors faced
by the victims?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. John Hersey admits to having
felt both “despair and relief” when he heard that the bomb had dropped
on Hiroshima, but we do not know how he felt after he researched
and wrote the book. Based on information in Hiroshima, make
a case for Hersey's either being for or against the decision to
drop the bomb.
2. How does Chapter Five complicate
or reinforce the picture of Japanese-American relations painted
in the original edition?
3. In addition to his own narration,
Hersey occasionally reprints letters, essays, or memos written by
or about the main characters in Hiroshima. In what
ways do these writings contribute to our understanding of the story
and our understanding of history?
