the tower of the Chugoku Electric Supply Building (800 yards); another projected by the handle of a gas pump (2,630 yards); and sev-eral on granite tombstones in the Gokoku Shrine (385 yards). By triangulating these and other such shadows with the objects that formed them, the scientists determined that the exact center was a spot a hundred and fifty yards south of the torii and a few yards southeast of the pile of ruins that had once been the Shima Hospital...

Such writing supports the purpose of presenting an account that shows the detailed experience of ordinary citizens who could not have imagined the devastation that was headed their way.

Hersey also shows the very human side of the suffering on the other side of the bombing. The reader is presented with the accounts of religious leaders, a mother, a businessman, and a typical worker whose lives are forever changed because of this new weapon. Their suffering is deep and prolonged, and the details of all they endured in the days and years following the bombing serves as a reminder that the bomb impacted very real lives—not a generalized "enemy" force.

Ultimately, the purpose is to make readers question the use of such devastating technology in times of war. Should victors win through any means possible? Are there some methods of warfare which are too horrific for use? Is that even possible—or is all fair when it comes to winning wars? These are questions which are left for readers to answer after understanding the effects on those in Hiroshima who suffered in previously unimaginable ways via new wartime technology.

Before John Hersey wrote Hiroshima, much of the reporting had been on the technical or scientific aspects of dropping the atomic bombs. Little had appeared in print to examine the effects of the bomb on individuals. Russell Shorto writes the following in "John Hersey, the Writer Who Let 'Hiroshima' Speak for Itself," published in the New Yorker on August 31, 2016 (see the link below):

In choosing...to report on individual victims, to follow the unfolding of their lives in minute detail from the moment the bomb fell and as they struggled to exist through the ensuing weeks, Hersey did something altogether different. He bore witness.

According to the article by Shorto, Hersey felt that the immensity of what he had to convey led him to abandon traditional reportorial techniques to embrace novelistic techniques. In addition, Shorto says, quoting Hersey's son, that Hersey was motivated to write the novel because he had "a strong moral compass" in part because Hersey's parents were missionaries. His moral compass led him to want to disclose what the bomb had done to ordinary citizens in Japan. His other motivation might have come from growing up in China until age 11, as he had developed compassion and knowledge of other ways of life, particularly in Asia. Finally, although he does not come out and directly address the morality and wisdom of nuclear proliferation, it seems clear that one of Hersey's motivations was to stop the development of nuclear weapons.

When Hersey published this novel, the events of Hiroshima were still fresh in everyone's minds, but Americans did not realize yet that they really had no idea what happened in Hiroshima. Americans saw the bombing as a necessary evil and believed that this was a last resort. Hersey wasn't commenting on that specifically, but he was revealing a human side to the tragedy. Hiroshima was a place where civilians lived, and they are the victims of a terrifying strategy. He recognized that Americans justified the bombings too much and needed to see the complexity of the issue. This book helped Americans recognize the effects of the bombing on Japanese, physically and emotionally-- especially the long term effects. He was able to do this without demonizing America, which helped. A world where "necessary" evils of this proportion are devastating to the entire society, not just the victim.

At least one more reason Hersey wrote the book was to recognize Japanese moral character and show how they grew from the tragedy. The story follows six characters who show tremendous courage, charity, and strength.

As far as evidence is concerned in supporting these ideas, you will want to look for events in the novel that show character strength in the tragedy. Mr. Tanimoto is especially important because he becomes some sort of hero in American eyes, but fails to bring recognizance to American involvement in the rebuilding for peace.