Citizen 13660: Comparison of Two Texts

      After reading the graphic novel and comparing it to the memoir-like novel, When the Emperor was Divine, I found myself drawing many conclusions. Clearly these two texts were set at the same internment camp, recalling almost identical events, and the affects made to two different familial structures. However, upon completing both texts within a very short period of time (which allowed for the events to be fresh in my mind) I found myself with two key questions; one that I think I am able to answer and another I'm not so sure about.

     The first of these questions is, why were these two stories of the same life events so drastically different? Obviously, many of the events were told in the same order and with similar details, but the tonal quality of the stories were polar opposites. I'm positive that the different literary structures gave way to the contrast in tone (as the graphic novel allowed for more feeling via personalized illustration and the novel was lacking in the ability to consistently evoke emotion), but is that the only reason giving way to this difference?  I think what may have played a huge role in the story telling is the perspective from which the stories were told and the subsequent familial structures attached to those viewpoints. The novel was told from, what seemed like, the perspective of each member of the four-person family; while the graphic novel was seen from the eyes of one person. The family's story clearly relayed the perspectives of a mother, a father, a daughter/girl, and a son/boy, which displayed different values than the graphic novel. In Citizen 13660, the woman's perspective was that of a sister, not a mother or daughter, and I think her role in her family was less manipulated and altered by this period in her cultural history. Whereas one family felt trapped and torn apart, this single individual was better able to make it out all in one piece.

    The second question I have, the one in which I don't think I can answer, is did these two families ever cross paths? I'm not sure if the events in the novel were as biographical as the graphic novel, but one has to wonder. These two families were at the same place, at the same time, and recalled identical events that probably only happened once (i.e. the brick thrown through the window of the train), so is it possible they knew one another? Clearly the roles of these two families within the internment camps were dissimilar, but there could be a greater connection between these two stories than place and time. If these two families did cross paths, was that reflected in these two works? We may never know.