The Buddha in the Attic

by

Julie Otsuka

The White Townsfolk Character Analysis

From harassing their Japanese neighbors with racist insults and dynamite explosions to showing an interest in “exotic” East Asian art, the white townsfolk demonstrate the heightened racist and xenophobic attitudes toward nonwhite individuals in the United States during the 1900s. Many of the white townsfolk express sympathy for the struggles of their Japanese neighbors; however, confessions that they never truly felt safe around Japanese neighbors, combined with their ability to forget their Japanese neighbors with relative ease, showcase how the white townsfolk have access to a disproportionate amount of power and freedom in comparison to their Japanese counterparts.

The White Townsfolk Quotes in The Buddha in the Attic

The The Buddha in the Attic quotes below are all either spoken by The White Townsfolk or refer to The White Townsfolk. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender and Autonomy Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

They did not want us as neighbors in their valleys. They did not want us as friends. We lived in unsightly shacks and could not speak plain English. We cared only about money. Our farming methods were poor. We used too much water […] We were taking over their cauliflower industry. We had taken over their spinach industry. We had a monopoly on their strawberry industry and had cornered their market on beans. We were an unbeatable, unstoppable economic machine[.]

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

A few of us began receiving anonymous letters in the mail, informing us that our husbands would be next […] Others reported that their husbands had been threatened by angry Filipino workers in the fields […] Hitomi, who had worked as a housekeeper at the Prince estate for more than ten years, was held up at gunpoint in broad daylight as she was heading back into town.

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:

They pulled on their overalls in the countryside and helped us prepare for the harvest one last time, for we had been ordered to till our fields until the very end. This was our contribution to the war effort, we were told. An opportunity for us to prove our loyalty. A way to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the folks on the home front.

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The Japanese American Children, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Most of us left speaking only English, so as not to anger the crowds that had gathered to watch us go. Many of us had lost everything and left saying nothing at all. All of us left wearing white numbered identification tags tied to our collars and lapels.

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

A woman who used to rent to the Nakamuras says they were the best tenants she’s ever had. “Friendly. Polite. And so clean, you could practically eat off their floors.” “And they lived American, too,” says her husband. “Not a Japanese touch anywhere. Not even a vase.”

Related Characters: The White Townsfolk (speaker), The Japanese Women, The Husbands
Page Number: 119
Explanation and Analysis:

Harada Grocery has been taken over by a Chinese man named Wong but otherwise looks exactly the same, and whenever we walk past his window it is easy to imagine that everything is as it was before. But Mr. Harada is no longer with us, and the rest of the Japanese are gone. We speak of them rarely now.

Related Characters: The White Townsfolk (speaker), The Japanese Women, The Husbands
Page Number: 129s
Explanation and Analysis:
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The White Townsfolk Quotes in The Buddha in the Attic

The The Buddha in the Attic quotes below are all either spoken by The White Townsfolk or refer to The White Townsfolk. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender and Autonomy Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

They did not want us as neighbors in their valleys. They did not want us as friends. We lived in unsightly shacks and could not speak plain English. We cared only about money. Our farming methods were poor. We used too much water […] We were taking over their cauliflower industry. We had taken over their spinach industry. We had a monopoly on their strawberry industry and had cornered their market on beans. We were an unbeatable, unstoppable economic machine[.]

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

A few of us began receiving anonymous letters in the mail, informing us that our husbands would be next […] Others reported that their husbands had been threatened by angry Filipino workers in the fields […] Hitomi, who had worked as a housekeeper at the Prince estate for more than ten years, was held up at gunpoint in broad daylight as she was heading back into town.

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:

They pulled on their overalls in the countryside and helped us prepare for the harvest one last time, for we had been ordered to till our fields until the very end. This was our contribution to the war effort, we were told. An opportunity for us to prove our loyalty. A way to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the folks on the home front.

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The Japanese American Children, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Most of us left speaking only English, so as not to anger the crowds that had gathered to watch us go. Many of us had lost everything and left saying nothing at all. All of us left wearing white numbered identification tags tied to our collars and lapels.

Related Characters: The Japanese Women (speaker), The Husbands, The White Townsfolk
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

A woman who used to rent to the Nakamuras says they were the best tenants she’s ever had. “Friendly. Polite. And so clean, you could practically eat off their floors.” “And they lived American, too,” says her husband. “Not a Japanese touch anywhere. Not even a vase.”

Related Characters: The White Townsfolk (speaker), The Japanese Women, The Husbands
Page Number: 119
Explanation and Analysis:

Harada Grocery has been taken over by a Chinese man named Wong but otherwise looks exactly the same, and whenever we walk past his window it is easy to imagine that everything is as it was before. But Mr. Harada is no longer with us, and the rest of the Japanese are gone. We speak of them rarely now.

Related Characters: The White Townsfolk (speaker), The Japanese Women, The Husbands
Page Number: 129s
Explanation and Analysis: