John W. Dower's War Without Mercy

The book “War Without Mercy” is a study of the wartime attitudes between the Japanese and American forces against one another, by John W. Dower. The book is divided into four parts: Enemies, The War in Western Eyes, The War in Japanese Eyes, and Epilogue. Each section plays a vital role in the book, that without any of these, the book would change entirely. War Without Mercy opens with the section titled Enemies. It functions as an introduction to the themes and materials that John Dower will use throughout the book. It begins by describing the different racial opinions on each side and how it played a major role in the progression of the war, expressed in page eleven, “prejudice and racial stereotypes frequently distorted both Japanese and
He takes a look at the idea that the Japanese were always viewed as less than human and so often depicted as apes or monkeys. The belittling of the Japanese is seen clearly in the titles used in this section. Apes and others, (77) Lesser and Superman, (94) Primitives, Children, Madmen (118). Dower uses cartoons and illustrations in military publications and well-known magazines to further describe these actions. In this chapter Dower begins his examination as the Japanese went from being referred to as “the one time “little man” into a Goliath… Super-human, tough, disciplined and well equipped.”(113) Also Ambassador Joseph Grew, described on his return from Japan, that the Japanese were; “sturdy,” “Spartan,” “clever and dangerous,” and that “his will to conquer was “utterly ruthless, utterly cruel and utterly blind to the values that make up our civilization….”” (113) In this chapter Dower also examines how some Americans and British described the Japanese “National Character,” their tactics in war, and behavior during the war from Freudian psychiatry as well as Anthropology and other social and behavioral sciences. Dower cites many experts of the time and their understandings of the Japanese national character, although “itself questionable,” (124) the fact is that the implementation of these philosophies is what had a major
It is seen clearly in the book that both sides were so much alike, and then critiqued for the same things. This hypocritical aspect is what led to the war but the Americans, like the Japanese were too preoccupied with winning that they could not focus on the wrongdoings they each were committing. For example, in America Frank Capra was asked to prepare a series of orientation films or American troops to watch. The “simple working motto that decisively shaped the style and texture of the films: Let the enemy prove to our soldiers the enormity of his cause-and the justness of ours.” (16) While simultaneously the Japanese soldiers were given a booklet titled: “Read This and the War is Won.” It’s purpose- was to spiritually mobile the Japanese for a protracted conflict and inspire them to take up and “shield and spear” to destroy evil, bring about justice, and protect the country’s “shining history” of 2,600 years. Another similarity in their propaganda methods was of course under-mining of each another. The image of the Japanese superhuman depicts an American soldier being the hero and has a comment on the top where a women is reading to her child that says “And so brave Jack defied the Giant Ogre…” (188) In “people of the Southern Region” a photo signifies “many of the ways the Japanese