comment on theme

Dorrigo and several of the other main characters are from Australia while the soldiers overseeing the Prisoner of War camp are a mixture of Japanese and Korean. There are major cultural differences and these are seen in detail as the perspective moves to those soldiers. Nakamura is a Japanese commander in charge of the POW camp where Dorrigo is interred. The railroad is an incredibly huge project and one that can't possibly be completed under the circumstances.