Free Essays on When We Were Orphans

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro is the story of a detective’s search for his parents who disappeared when he was a small boy. The novel is divided into seven parts by date and location. The protagonist, Christopher Banks, was raised in the International Settlement in Shanghai by his parents until they disappeared when he was nine years old. His father, who was the first to vanish, was an officer in a large company that dealt in the trading of opium. His mother was largely and passionately involved with the anti-opium campaign. (When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro) After the disappearance of his parents, Banks is sent to England to live with his aunt. From this time on he believes it is his calling to become a great detective and rid the world of evil. After the vanishing of his father he and his friend Akira role-played as detectives. Banks built a great name for himself as a detective. He was highly regarded in society, but all of the cases he solved did not satisfy him. He felt he needed to find his parents; this would fill the void. He eventually figured out that his parents’ disappearance was connected to the opium trade and set off for Shanghai to solve the case once and for all. (Yardley) Very slowly the details of Banks’ childhood are revealed. The reader gets a sense of the absolute loneliness that he feels. He reveals that he was somewhat of an outsider and was not close to anyone except for his parents and his one true friend Akira. Despite the fact that Banks was somewhat of a loner, he takes great offense when an old acquaintance brings this up to him. Banks refers to Akira throughout the entire story. It seems as though he was almost as obsessed with reuniting with this childhood friend as he was with finding his parents and â€Å"solving the case,† as he referred to it. When he returns to Shanghai, he finds the bulk of his homeland under siege. During his pilgrimage through the city to the house in which h... Free Essays on When We Were Orphans Free Essays on When We Were Orphans When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro is the story of a detective’s search for his parents who disappeared when he was a small boy. The novel is divided into seven parts by date and location. The protagonist, Christopher Banks, was raised in the International Settlement in Shanghai by his parents until they disappeared when he was nine years old. His father, who was the first to vanish, was an officer in a large company that dealt in the trading of opium. His mother was largely and passionately involved with the anti-opium campaign. (When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro) After the disappearance of his parents, Banks is sent to England to live with his aunt. From this time on he believes it is his calling to become a great detective and rid the world of evil. After the vanishing of his father he and his friend Akira role-played as detectives. Banks built a great name for himself as a detective. He was highly regarded in society, but all of the cases he solved did not satisfy him. He felt he needed to find his parents; this would fill the void. He eventually figured out that his parents’ disappearance was connected to the opium trade and set off for Shanghai to solve the case once and for all. (Yardley) Very slowly the details of Banks’ childhood are revealed. The reader gets a sense of the absolute loneliness that he feels. He reveals that he was somewhat of an outsider and was not close to anyone except for his parents and his one true friend Akira. Despite the fact that Banks was somewhat of a loner, he takes great offense when an old acquaintance brings this up to him. Banks refers to Akira throughout the entire story. It seems as though he was almost as obsessed with reuniting with this childhood friend as he was with finding his parents and â€Å"solving the case,† as he referred to it. When he returns to Shanghai, he finds the bulk of his homeland under siege. During his pilgrimage through the city to the house in which h...