Did you know that the bomb “Little Boy” dropped over the Japanese town of Hiroshima was so devastating that the people only had an instant to react before feeling the effects? “A Noiseless Flash”, the first chapter in the novel Hiroshima was written by John Hersey, 1914-1993, describes the overall situation and feelings of the bomb through six characters. John Hersey uses character development, imagery and tone to contribute to the theme of the Unnatural Power of the Atomic Bomb. Hersey uses the development of characters to add to the motif of destruction. In the story the six characters keep to themselves and are innocently living their life day to day with the constant reminder of war. Because of the devastation from the bomb, the community pulled together. The purpose of the author providing these kinds of details is to show the cruel punishment the atom bomb had on the Japanese people. “Everything fell, and Ms. Sasaki lost consciousness. The ceiling dropped suddenly and the wooden floor above collapsed in splinters. There in the tin factory, in the first moment of the atomic age, a human being was crushed by …show more content…
The author uses imagery to contribute to the theme by going into great details describing the characters thought and feelings, what happened to the surroundings, as well as the atmosphere the instant the bomb went off. An example of this is when Dr. Fujii was thrown from the falling hospital into the river, “the doctor, still in the act of getting to his feet, was thrown forward and around and over; he was buffeted and gripped; he lost track of everything because things were so speeded up.”(Hersey 934). This colorful image shows the destruction and impact it had on the people of Hiroshima. The imagery Hersey creates makes the reader have a better understanding of the understanding of the unnatural power of the