Empire of the Sun: Analysis of Major Characters
"Empire of the Sun" is a poignant narrative centered around the experiences of Jim, an eleven-year-old British schoolboy who faces the chaos of World War II after being separated from his parents in Shanghai. As a privileged child with a fascination for aviation, Jim's journey transforms him from innocence to a more complex understanding of survival in harsh conditions. The story introduces key characters that shape Jim's development, including Basie, an opportunistic American sailor who teaches Jim about self-preservation and exploitation in difficult times. Dr. Ransome, a confident British doctor in the prison camp, becomes a mentor figure, encouraging Jim to pursue education and maintain English values amidst adversity. Other notable characters include Mr. Maxted, who embodies a lost pre-war Shanghai, and Mrs. Vincent, whose indifferent demeanor contrasts with Jim's burgeoning maturity. Additionally, Private Kimura, a young Japanese soldier, offers Jim a glimpse of friendship in an otherwise hostile environment. Through these relationships, the novel explores themes of resilience, adaptation, and the loss of childhood innocence amid the ravages of war.
Empire of the Sun: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: J. G. Ballard
First published: 1984
Genre: Novel
Locale: Shanghai, China
Plot: Social realism
Time: 1941–1945
Jim, the protagonist, a British schoolboy entering adolescence. An intelligent, curious, self-reliant, and somewhat rebellious eleven-year-old from a privileged background, Jim is obsessed with aviation, in particular, warplanes. When Japan enters the war against the Allies, he is separated from his parents. He wanders through the disorder of war-torn Shanghai, learning to survive by using his wits. After meeting Basie on the waterfront, he and the American sailor are taken to a prison camp, where he learns much more about survival in the “university of life.” He adapts to conditions in the camp with a readiness not found among the European adults. By the end of the war, he has witnessed many scenes of social upheaval and apocalypse, including the flash of the atom bomb exploding at Nagasaki.
Basie, an American merchant seaman and profiteer. A man in his thirties with an easy manner, a bland, unlined face, and soft hands that he keeps powdered, he is articulate, observant, opportunistic, manipulative, and devious. Basie needs to have people working for him at all times and tries to exploit every event for his own benefit. In the prison camp, he uses Jim as a coolie, but he does teach Jim the necessity of satisfying one's own needs and provides the boy with information about the outside world.
Dr. Ransome, a British doctor in the prison camp. A sandy-haired, long-legged, strong man in his late twenties, he is opinionated, self-confident, somewhat bossy, and interested in helping others. He intercedes on behalf of the other prisoners in disputes with the Japanese guards and encourages the inmates to improve their welfare by growing a garden and building a sewage system. Dr. Ransome also tries to preserve English values in the camp. After taking an interest in Jim, he attempts to educate the boy in such subjects as mathematics, Latin, and poetry.
Mr. Maxted, an English architect and entrepreneur who represents for Jim a Shanghai that existed before the war. He is a dapper, middle-aged, slightly eccentric man who does not adapt well to life in the camp.
Mrs. Vincent, the wife of a former stockbroker, a pale, nervous, exhausted young woman with thinning blonde hair. She is indifferent or hostile to Jim, but he is attracted to her as he matures.
Private Kimura, a Japanese soldier and camp guard who is not much older than Jim and who becomes the boy's friend.