In today’s age, letter writing is frequently referred to as ‘a lost art’- one that has been taken over by emails, texts, and instant messaging. Yet, during the Second World War, letter writing was utilized heavily, specifically by victims of the war like those in concentration and internment camps. Though, why is that? Why was letter writing so appealing, especially in a time of such tragedy? Using historical letters, one can attempt to answer these questions. Thinking about the psychology of letter writing, people write letters even during times of tragedy, these letters tend to almost always stay positive, and the three separate motivations of letter writing can be seen as obligation, worriment, and longing.
To begin thinking about why people write letters, one must start with the psychology of writing itself. The victims of both The Holocaust and the Japanese internment camps were in tragic situations having had their freedom, dignity, and homes stripped from them entirely. It’s hard to imagine what prompted these victims to take the time to sit down and write a letter. The National Library of Medicine explains that “writing allows individuals to observe, monitor, and evaluate how they express and control their emotions. The sense of control over emotions that is a direct result of writing helps the writer improve their well-being and reduces negative emotions” (Psychol, 2021). Writing itself helps people take control of their own emotions and actually reduce negative feelings entirely. Someone like Louise Ogawa, one of the children who wrote to Librarian Clara Breed when living in a Japanese internment camp, most likely was experiencing a plethora of negative emotions. By taking the time to write, Louise was very likely able to reduce those negative feelings by putting them on paper instead of just keeping them locked away in her head. Furthermore, Gregory Ciotti writes: “Expressive writing has also been linked to improved mood, well-being, and reduced stress levels for those who do it regularly” (Ciotti, 2023). It’s hard to imagine the stress, let alone trauma that being in an internment camp brought on. Writing most likely acted as a stress reliever for Louise Ogawa after being forced into a new location against her will. Overall, writing functioned as an outlet for little Louise’s emotions. Thinking about the psychology of letter writing, Dr. John F. Evans from Psychology Today writes: “Unlike expressive writing- in the act of writing any letter, the writer intentionally becomes conscious of another person, and this awareness to a large degree, influences word choice, word order, even the punctuation and sentence structure” (Evans, 2014). Writing Letters helps people gain a clearer understanding of their own thoughts and feelings by expressing them to someone else, making it very therapeutic. This idea rings true in the letter “My Very Dear Wife” – The Last Letter of Major Sullivan Ballou. This is the last letter Civil War soldier, Sullivan Ballou wrote to his wife before his death. Balou writes how he feels about possibly dying on the battlefield saying “If it is necessary that I should fall on the battle-field for any country, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter” (Ballou, 1861). By writing the way he feels in the context of a letter to his wife, Ballou is able to clearly articulate the way he feels about his own impending doom, most likely helping him to better understand and come to terms with his own emotions.
While thinking about the psychology of letter writing, it’s important to consider that many of these letters written in times of tragedy are unusually positive. Continuing to consider the quote from Psychology Today, when a person is writing a letter, they become conscious and aware of another person, which, in turn, influences “word choice, word order, even the punctuation and sentence structure”(Evans, 2014). The idea that another person will read their words influences the tone and word choice of a writer, most likely causing them to come off as more positive.This is very clear in Isaac Joseph Kornowski’s Last Letter from Drancy. In this letter, Isaac Joseph Kornowski, a French Jewish man being held in a concentration camp in Drancy, France, writes to his wife and sons about how he is doing. Kornowski writes “I am fine. I am still hopeful that we will be together again as we were in the past- don’t lose hope that soon we will be together again, as we were in the past. I hug you very tight, and again, one more time, we will see each other soon” (Kornowski, 1941). It seems to be that Kornowski is quite positive about his current situation, no matter how tragic it is. This is most likely due to the fact that he knew his wife and children would be reading his words, so he chose them very carefully in a way that would paint his situation in a more positive light. Another reason to consider as to why someone like Louise Ogawa’s letter was so positive, is her young age. According to UCL article Why Young Children are Hyper-optimistic, “While people tend to have an optimism bias at any age, the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General study reports that this is particularly true among children, and declines as they grow up into adolescence” (UCL News, 2022). Though her age is not explicitly mentioned, one can infer that Louise was just a child when she wrote her letters to Clara Breed. Louise’s letter is extremely positive when considering the fact that she was forced into a crowded internment camp against her will just because of her race. In her letter, Louise writes “This is a wonderful place–way out in the open spaces. It would be paradise if it were not for the dust, heat, and the insects- Miss Breed, I’ll bet you a hundred dollars that you won’t be able to beat my tan!!” (Ogawa, 1942). Louise describing the internment camp as a “wonderful place” and “paradise” is very optimistic, and, like the UCL article explains, Louise’s optimism is most likely due to her young age. In contrast, Issac Joseph Kornowski’s letter, as positive as it is, still mentions many of Kornowski’s anxieties and fears, like how he doesn’t know a lot about his family’s current situation which “worries [him] greatly” (Kornowski, 1944). This drastic difference in optimism is most likely due to the fact that optimism declines with age, and Kornowski is significantly older than Louise Ogawa during their times in prison camps.
Looking at all three letters mentioned thus far, it’s important to think about each writer’s specific motivation for letter writing beyond an emotional level, for each writer has a unique story. Beginning with Louise Ogawa’s letter, it’s appropriate to assume that Louise’s main motivation for letter writing was obligation. Louise and Clara Breed had an ongoing correspondence, and for every letter Clara wrote to Louise, Louise most likely felt obligated to write back. This is clear in the opening of a different Louise Ogawa letter where she writes “I never seem to be able to keep my word of writing to you often-one thing or another keeps me from writing” (Ogawa, 1943). Still being a child, Louise most likely continued her correspondence with Clara Breed out of obligation, more than anything else. Moving on to Joseph Kornowski’s letter, Kornowski’s main motivation for letter writing was most likely worriment. Being both a father and husband whose family in Europe was also Jewish, Kornowski had a lot to be concerned and anxious about. Not only was he himself in danger, but so were his wife and children, meaning Kornowski had a lot to lose, more so than the other two letter writers. Kornowski writes “My dear wife and sons, I’m sure that you understand that I would like to know more details about your situation, which worries me greatly-Did [you take] the coal? [Did you make sure] that you took everything in the shop storeroom? Have you heard anything from my brother…? How are Fannie and the … family?” (Kornowski, 1944). Kornowski not only expresses worry, but continues to ask his family an abundance of questions, clearly expressing his concern and anxiety for his loved ones. On to the last letter writer, one can assume that Sullivan Ballou’s major motivation for writing his letter, was longing. Contrary to the other two letter writers whose letters were written out of love, Ballou’s letter is a love letter. Ballou is writing specifically to his wife, the love of his life, who he misses dearly. Ballou writes “But, O Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth, and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you in the garish day, and the darkest night amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours (Ballou, 1861). Ballou is aware of his coming demise, and longs for his wife after death. Knowing that he will most likely never see his wife again, Ballou writes to her out of longing to see her again.
Letter writing very well could be a lost art, but if this lengthy analysis proved nothing else, it was, indeed an art, during the second World War. When reading letters from victims of war, questions like: ‘Why was letter writing so appealing in a time of tragedy?’ and ‘How could these letters be so positive?’ may come up. Using historical letters, this analysis attempted to successfully answer these questions through the use of psychology and research of human psychological tendencies. Under that scope, it can rightfully be assumed that people write letters even during times of tragedy due to the way writing benefits one’s mental health. These letters tend to almost always stay positive due to the consciousness of another person and differentiating levels of optimism. Finally, the three separate motivations of letter writing can be seen as obligation, worriment, and longing. Though this analysis looks at historical letters, letter writing remains a nostalgic staple in many people’s lives, which will continue to be studied in the years to come.
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