Another Point of View

In “Evacuation Order No. 19” the narrator focuses on Mrs. Hayahsi’s experiences and her responses to the family’s situation. What different experiences and reactions might another character have had in a similar situation? Write a version of a scene from the story from the point of view of another character, such as Mrs. Hayashi’s son or daughter, or even Joe Lundy or Mrs. Greer.

Mrs. Hayashi's daughter's point of view:


     When Mrs. Hayashi's daughter and brother came home from school, Mrs. Hayashi reminded me that early next morning they would be leaving. Tomorrow they were going on a trip. They could only bring with them what they could carry.
     "I already know that," said Mrs. Hayashi's daughter. She knew how to read signs on trees. She tossed her books onto the sofa and told her mother that her teacher Mr. Rutherford had talked for an entire hour about prime numbers and coniferous trees. 
     "Do you know what a coniferous tree is?" the daughter asked. Her mother said no. "Tell me," said the mother, but the daughter just shook her head no.
     "I'll tell you later," she said. Mrs. Hayashi's daughter was ten years old and she knew what she liked. Boys and black licorice and Dorothy Lamour, her favorite star. Her favorite song on the radio was "Don't Fence Me In". She adored her pet macaw. She went to the bookshelf and took down the Birds of America. She balanced the book on her head and walked slowly, her spine held erect, up the stairs to her room.
     A few seconds later there was a loud thump and the book came tumbling back down the stairs. The daughter's brother looked up at his mother. He was seven and a small, black fedora was tilted to one side of his head. "She has to stand up straighter," the daughter heard her brother say softly. He went up to the foot of the stairs and stared at the book. It had landed face open to a picture of a small brown bird. A marshe wren. "You have to stand up straighter," the brother shouted.
    "It's not that," came the daughter's reply. "It's my head."
     "What's wrong with your head?" shouted the brother.
     "Too round. Too round on the top."