Contrast Paragraph – Miss Sasaki
Topic Sentence
Quote
Explanation of contrast
How does the reader feel
Does this match what you expect?
Perspective
The difference between Miss Sasaki’s beliefs and
Father Kleinsorge’s beliefs symbolize the uncertainty and confusion that manifested in people after the drop of the Atomic Bomb.
Father Kleinsorge attempts to convert Miss Sasaki to Christianity. She has hesitations because “the logic of his instruction did little to convince her, for she could not accept the idea that a God who had snatched away her parents and put her through such hideous trails was loving and merciful” (119). Father Kleinsorge wants Miss
Sasaki to believe in a loving god, yet this is in distinct contrast to her experience with a god who “snatched away her parents” (119). A loving god would not steal her parents from her nor would a loving god force her to endure so much pain. During this passage, the reader is conflicted between what Father Kleinsorge preaches and the experiences of Miss Sasaki. This is a reasonable emotion because Miss Sasaki is in the process of making sense of her situation and any theory or belief that contrasts what she has gone through seems illogical because it does not match the horrible events of her life. Depicting this contrast heightens the severity of Miss Sasaki’s experience. One feels empathy for her situation and her confusion because of her past. Knowing her past makes her hesitation toward converting seem quite reasonable.