Setting

The play is set during the American Occupation of Japan in the aftermath of World War n It takes place on the island of Okinawa, the largest of the Okinawa Islands, in the South China Sea. The setting is central to the play, which explores an attempt at democratization of the native Okinawan culture. The main characters are either U S military personnel or inhabitants of the tiny village of Tobiki, a fictional location.

Dialogue

The dialogue in this play represents two common elements of stereotypical depictions of Asian societies. The Okinawans Sakini, for instance speak a broken English that is a stereotypical representation throughout Western culture of the accents of Asian people from any national and linguistic background. This stereotypically broken English may be generally recognizable to many Western readers. For instance, Sakini, the interpreter for the Americans, after removing a piece of chewing gum from his...