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Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Quotes

Decent Essays

As motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” Henry Lee is just one of the many examples that proves this quote true. In the novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, the relationships between Henry and those close to him shape his character. Keiko Okabe, Henry’s son, and Henry’s father interact with Henry in ways that seem small, but in the end the events that have taken place influence Henry greatly. Throughout his life, Henry’s character was shaped in both positive and negative aspects, which was influenced greatly by the people he was surrounded by. Henry’s relationship with his father lacked necessary communication and the emotional detachment followed …show more content…

The novel begins as Henry reminisces his time with her, which suggests that she is the focus point of the story. “The hotel had always been a perfect landmark. A perfect meeting place―where he’d once met the love of his life” (1). Henry’s relationship with Keiko is the relationship the book revolves around for many reasons. Due to her Japanese descent, Henry found himself falling in love with a girl that his father would never approve of. In turn, Keiko fueled Henry’s rebellion against his father, and taught him valuable lessons about how to love and what it means to be a family. When Keiko is sent away to Camp Harmony, Henry is driven mad by their separation. He searches for ways to get in contact with Keiko, and eventually finds a job that will allow him to find her while he is serving food at the camp’s cafeteria. His desperation to find her shows the impact Keiko has on his life. He tells her he will wait for her, however long it takes, so they can be together. Since Henry is only 12 years old, it is clear that his love for her is deep and true. Keiko influenced Henry’s character the most because she was the turning point of his

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