Robert Childan and Nobusuke Tagomi

Robert Childan and Nobusuke Tagomi are bound by a relationship of commercial dependency and racial subordination that epitomizes the social order of the Pacific States of America. Childan, the white proprietor of American Artistic Handcrafts Inc., relies on the patronage of Japanese officials like Tagomi, a high-ranking member of the Trade Mission, to sustain his business. Their interactions are not merely commercial transactions but are laden with the ritualized performance of power, where every bow, every word, and every gesture reinforces the hierarchy of the occupation. Tagomi’s position grants him the authority to demand, to criticize, and to humiliate, while Childan’s survival depends on his ability to absorb these indignities and maintain a facade of eager service.

The Dynamics of Power and Humiliation

The relationship is defined by a stark imbalance of power, which Tagomi wields with a calculated, often cruel, precision. When a promised Civil War recruiting poster fails to arrive, Tagomi’s phone call is a masterclass in veiled insult. He deliberately mispronounces Childan’s name, a slight that cuts to the bone, and his “fussy, brisk voice, barely polite, barely keeping the code” reduces Childan to a stammering wreck. Childan’s internal monologue reveals the depth of his mortification: “Place pulled, the dreadful mortification of their situation. Robert Childan’s aspirations and fears and torments rose up and exposed themselves, swamped him, stopping his tongue.” This dynamic is not an exception but the rule; Childan’s entire day is spent in anxious preparation for such encounters, knowing that his “business depends on them.” The relationship is a constant, grinding reminder of his subjugated place, a fact he can never forget, even when he momentarily fantasizes about a world where “the very idea of place” would end.

Commercial Dependency and the Fear of Ruin

Childan’s economic survival is entirely contingent on Tagomi’s goodwill, making every transaction a high-stakes gamble. The failed delivery of the poster is not a minor inconvenience but a potential catastrophe that could cost him a valuable client. Childan’s frantic efforts to find a substitute—scrambling to procure a mint copy of Tip Top Comics Number One—are driven by the terror of losing Tagomi’s patronage. This dependency forces Childan into a state of perpetual anxiety, where he must anticipate Tagomi’s desires and absorb his insults without complaint. The relationship is a commercial trap: Childan must sell to the Japanese to survive, but each sale reinforces his own subjugation. This is starkly illustrated when Childan, after a grueling afternoon, finally presents the Mickey Mouse wristwatch to Tagomi, who presents it to his own client, Mr. Baynes. The transaction is a success, but it leaves Childan exhausted and his stomach upset, a physical manifestation of the psychological cost of his servitude.

The Internalization of Colonial Ideology

Childan’s relationship with Tagomi forces him to confront and internalize the racial ideology that underpins their world. He oscillates between self-loathing and a desperate need to believe in the superiority of his own race. He admires the Japanese for their power and culture, yet he also harbors a deep resentment, viewing them as “Orientals” who have usurped the rightful place of whites. This conflict is most acute in his dealings with Tagomi, who embodies the authority Childan both craves and resents. Childan’s thoughts often drift to the Nazis, whom he sees as the true bearers of white nobility, a fantasy that allows him to momentarily escape his own degradation. This internalized racism is a direct product of his relationship with Tagomi, a relationship that forces him to constantly measure his own worth against the power of his conqueror. The relationship is not just a commercial one; it is a crucible in which Childan’s identity is forged and reforged, always in the shadow of Tagomi’s authority.

A Glimmer of Change and the Persistence of Hierarchy

Toward the end of the novel, a subtle shift occurs in the relationship, though the fundamental power imbalance remains. When Tagomi visits Childan’s store to trade in his Colt .44 revolver, he is in a state of profound spiritual crisis, having killed two SD men. Childan, sensing Tagomi’s vulnerability, refuses the trade and instead presents him with a piece of Edfrank jewelry, a new, contemporary American creation. This is a rare moment of agency for Childan, where he is not merely a supplicant but a guide, offering something of value that Tagomi cannot command. Tagomi, in his desperation, accepts the piece, and his subsequent meditation on it in Portsmouth Square becomes a pivotal moment of his own spiritual journey. However, this does not erase the hierarchy. Tagomi still refers to Childan’s “Anglo-Saxon fanaticism” with a hint of condescension, and Childan, for his part, remains the shopkeeper, dependent on the patronage of the powerful. The relationship has evolved, but it has not been transformed; the structure of power remains intact, a testament to the enduring nature of the colonial order they both inhabit.