XXXXX
XXXXX
British Literature
6 May, 2013
The Perception of War Through the Eyes of a Child
J. G. Ballard’s literary work, Empire of the Sun, is a novel about a child’s experiences

while living in Shanghai, China during World War II. Throughout the novel, Jim, an eleven-year

old British lad, is forced to deal with a variety of issues related to the war. The brutal hardships,

pain, and death associated with war typically take a massive toll on adults, wearing them down.

Yet, in many young children and adolescents, it is often as if war is perceived as almost being a

movie or a time of imagination. Adults and children often differ in their points of view regarding

war and even deal with such events differently. However, regardless of one’s view of war,

change still ensues and there is no escaping that harsh reality.

Initially, Jim, the main character, is very young and very naive about the world and the ensuing war. Jim starts out as a young innocent lad, imagining how exciting it would be to be a fighter pilot, just like the Japanese pilots that fly over the city. Jim is very naïve as the only life he has ever known is one of privilege. This is because Jim was born into the class of the elite rich, who often looked down upon the Chinese and Japanese peasants that would plead for money in the streets. Jim even states, “All over the western suburbs people were wearing fancy dress, as if Shanghai had become a city of clowns” (p. 10). He even wondered if many were not “thoroughly enjoying the war” (p. 4).
Unfortunately, Jim’s imagination quickly converts from a daydream to a cold hard reality as the war ensues. As this occurs, Jim begins to face various experiences with death. The author shows the reader just how naïve and inexperienced Jim is with death early in the novel. For example, when Jim passes the lifeless body of one of the street beggars, he tells himself that the man simply “never moved because he was warm under the snow” (p. 11). This illustrates just how innocent Jim is and how little experience he has in life.
The perception of war is often greatly separated when it comes to the minds of young

children compared to the minds of adults. For example, many times a child will not understand

the brutal pain and suffering caused by war. Their fascination with the planes and tanks, and

even the imaginative adrenaline rush of saving the country from an invading enemy allow them

to temporarily exclude the scenes of bloodshed, pain and fallen casualties. As noted

earlier, Jim starts out his life-altering journey with a fascination of war and especially fighter

planes. This is expressed when the author describes Jim with his model plane. The author

writes, “Caught by the wind, the model banked steeply and soared across the perimeter of the

airfield . . . skidded along the roof of an old concrete blockhouse and fell into grass beyond . . .

as [Jim] machine-gunned the flitting insects” (p. 19).

Jim’s life begins to swiftly change as he is forced from his life of luxury and ends up on the streets. However, he still does not see the true devastation in the events occurring before him. Again, readers can see the difference in his child like view of the war. It is almost as if it is a fun game when it is described that Jim, “gazed happily at the burned-out trams and tenement blocks, at the thousands of doors open to the clouds, a deserted city invaded by the sky” (p. 97). In fact, the author notes that, “It only disappointed him that his fellow prisoners failed to share his excitement. They sat glumly on the benches, staring at their feet” (p. 97). Jim’s preoccupancy with all of the burned out vehicles and tanks clearly displays his juvenile attitude and observation of the war. The exact opposite view is seen in adults, who see no joy in the after ruin of battle and scenes of death. Even just names of the planes dominate the mind of Jim as he “relished the name; to know that the planes were Mustangs was more important to him than the confirmation that Basie had his ear to the camp’s secret radio” (p. 131). The opportunity for the camp to have a radio to use was pushed to a dark corner of Jim’s mind in order to make room for more information about the attacking planes that he so much admired and dreamed of fighting in someday if he could.
The flashy and ceremonial side of war intrigued Jim’s imagination. “The fliers fascinated Jim, far more than Private Kimura and his kendo armor” (p. 148). Every day, Jim “watched the pilots in their baggy flying suits, carrying out the external checks before climbing into the cockpits. Above all Jim admired the kamikaze pilots” (p. 148). This fascination remains with
Jim throughout the book even though the kamikaze pilots are destined to die as soon as they enter battle. Jim’s juvenile view of warfare and the elaborate ceremonies and respect the kamikaze pilots received from fellow members of the Japanese army clouded Jim’ ability to see the harsh reality before him.
Jim behavior in Empire of the Sun, clearly illustrates how children can have a very distorted view of war, as if it is just a form of entertainment or even a game. This view contrast adult views regarding war, which are centered a round the horror behind flashy headlines and ceremonies. However, in the end, even Jim realizes the devastation and loss that war brings. In fact, Jim has lost his childhood innocence which is symbolically represented by the “child’s coffin [moving] onto the night stream” (p. 279). It is here Jim realizes that “only part of his mind would leave Shanghai. The rest would remain there forever, returning on the tide like the coffins launched from the funeral piers at Natao” (p. 279). Jim will leave Shanghai with new found courage and tenacity, but his childhood innocence will be lost forever.
Word Count: 1021

Works Cited
Ballard, J. G. Empire of the Sun. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984. Print.