I believe that the book “Grenade” by Alan Gratz really represents fear and hope. It shows how Hideki and Ray experience a lot of horrible events throughout the book, which causes them to become very fearful. Although, after Hideki kills Ray and his spirit clings to him, he begins to feel hope for the future, and not worry about what happened in the past. This helps him survive and eventually meet up with his sister Kimiko at the end of the book, just like he promises his father he would after he dies. Fear is an important theme in the book, and many of the book’s descriptions on how Hideki feels during and after the battle are symbolic of the fears he experiences, such as a fear of death, fear he would not be himself again, fear of loss, etc. “Panic washed over Hideki, pulling him under like a wave. The grenade. The grenade he’d thrown at Rei had knocked Hideki’s own mabui loose too! No wonder he’d felt so sick. So adrift. He’d lost his soul that day.” But after that, he recognizes hope, and how even though he may never get his soul back again, Ray’s spirit deserves to be in peace, “He would do it right by Rei first. Make sure his spirit found peace. Then Hideki would do what he could to restore his own spirit.” Ultimately, some people may feel as if nothing is in place for them for the future. However, according to the book even if something terrible happens, people should still be hopeful, because there is always something that they can do to get over the bad experience, and to move forward with their lives. Overall, while certain events can be scary, if people stay hopeful and confident, it is likely that they will be able to handle a tough situation in the future.

Hideki and Ray think that they are going opposite ways, away from each other and the enemy when they are really heading straight towards each other. Hideki is running away from the fight and decides to take a path, not sure where to go, “He knew he should stop. Turn around. Find a place to hide. But he couldn’t stop himself. He was more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. He had to get as far away from the Americans as fast as he could.” Ray is also running away from the fight on a different path, not sure where to go, “He knew he should stop. Turn around. Rejoin his company. But he couldn’t stop himself. He was more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. He had to get as far away from the Japanese as fast as he could.” They are both in danger and they don’t even realize it. Whoever fires their gun first, or throws their grenade faster would kill the other one. Hideki’s grenade, even though it is ceramic and not metal, is still able to kill Ray. He kills him when Ray could have easily shot him down with one single bullet of his M-1 rifle. But, the bullet just missed him, and the force of Hideki’s grenade is too powerful for Ray to handle, killing him in an instant. This event in the book really represents fear, and how something can scare someone so much that they do something without even thinking. This is the moment when Ray’s spirit clings with Hideki forever, and changes not just himself as a person, but his identity and his “moral universe.” This represents an example of a “choiceless choice” that Hideki makes because he just kills Ray without even thinking that he is a person too just like Hideki and that it doesn’t really matter what side they’re on, or who or what they believe in. But just the idea of killing someone, taking their life in practically a second, can haunt someone for the rest of their life.

Ray is a significant character in the book “Grenade” because he is the main American soldier in the story. He is the antagonist to the Japanese soldiers including Hideki since the Americans are at war with them. Ray ran away from home to join the Marines and nothing has been the same since then. When their boat departs to invade Okinawa, Ray’s heart pounds in his chest as he thinks he is going to die right on the spot when they arrive. He is also given two grenades, like Hideki is, in order to kill as many Japanese soldiers as possible. According to Ray’s commander, Sergeant Meredith, if they want to have any chance of survival, they should “Stay low, don’t bunch up, and run like hell!” Nevertheless, Ray is still nervous. At the start of the battle, he tries to stay calm, focused, and confident, but he can’t help feeling scared. Although, once he steps foot on the island, he realizes that there is no gunfire at all so he and his soldier mates eventually find and slaughter a pig while they wait. This gives them a few moments to build up their strength and prepare for what lays ahead of them. When people are put into tough situations like Ray is in the story, they often feel as if they are going to fail. However, they just need to prepare themselves for the obstacles they may face. Like Ray, people should try to take time to reflect on tough situations and they should always try to look on the bright side and stay positive. Ultimately, if more people begin to take a step forward to try to fix the problems in their lives, it will become less likely for them to be in a difficult situation ever again.

“One grenade is for the American monsters coming to kill your family”… Sano’s gaze swept down the row of boys until it stopped on Hideki, like he was taking to him alone. “Then, after you have killed as many Americans as you can,” Sano added, “you are to use the other grenade to kill yourself.”

This quote by Lt. Col. Sano, a Japanese officer, is significant because it demonstrates the terrible position soldiers were in during World War II, and some of the difficult choices they had to make. It adds to the story by showing the experience of an individual soldier, Hideki, and how he is feeling while preparing to go into battle. Hideki is a young soldier who is small and shy, and he gets bullied by another soldier in his unit named Yoshio. The bullying makes Hideki feel very insecure, and when his Lt. Col. stares at him while he is instructing them on what to do, it makes Hideki really question his ability to handle what he is being asked to do. Specifically, the quote highlights the effects of singling out an individual from a group. Hideki feels like Sano is picking on him personally when he stares at him, even though it may not be what Sano was intending to do. It stands out because it is very dramatic and violent and helps the reader to feel how Hideki is feeling at this time in the book. The quote foreshadows the loss of life of Japanese soldiers that is likely to take place during the battle, and how high the casualty rate might be. The quote connects to the larger thematic issue of war and how stressful and difficult it can be for the people involved, especially the soldiers who have to fight in battle.