Analysis

The reappearance of Jimmie Sasaki is meaningful because it happens in the context of Louie’s acclimation to the extreme, dehumanizing environment of a POW camp, a place where sadistic people like “The Quack” degrade Louie and his fellow POWs in obsessively cruel ways. At Ofuna, the sight of Jimmie Sasaki should be cause for hope, and Sasaki attempts to play the role of ally but is unconvincing. Instead, his presence is evidence of yet another betrayal to Louie. Sasaki has pretended friendship when actually he is an enemy. His betrayal is just one more hellish hardship for Louie to endure.