This section comprises the falling action, the coming together and meshing of forces which had been at odds. After suffering months of displacement, the Wakatsukis acquire a makeshift contentment. In nature, Ko takes temporary refuge from the dilemma of which of the two warring governments is right and which nation — Japan or the U.S. — claims the greatest share of his soul. As Jeanne describes the inspiration of Mount Whitney, it "represented those forces in nature, those powerful and inevitable forces that cannot be resisted, reminding a man that sometimes he must simply endure that which cannot be changed."
The irony of the name Manzanar, Spanish for "apple orchard," echoes the invigorating forces of nature which replenish spirits and restore interest in life. Like prisoners, internees turn to "the little bit of busywork you had right in front of you, [which] became the most urgent thing." Sublimating despair and rage, the simple will to go on keeps Mama immersed in the dietary needs of her neighbors, Papa puttering at his hobbies, and the Wakatsuki boys interested in arrowheads, football, a hillbilly band, and a dance band.
