Code Talkers

Character Analysis

These twenty-nine guys were the insanely impressive men who created what would be known as an unbreakable code—a code, without which, the Japanese would not have been defeated.

Oh yeah—and a bunch of these guys did this when they were still high-school aged. Their peers were studying physics in high school and these guys were… winning WWII.

We're going to discuss these twenty-nine original Navajo code talkers as a group, because in Code Talkers we don't get much detail about each of them as individuals. But hey—what they accomplished, they did as a group, dedicating themselves to the mission of coming up with the unbreakable code, and they supported one another as a unit.

This ability to cooperate and work together goes back to the values of Navajo culture. As Chester tells us:

There was no dissension among us […] We focused. We worked as one. This was a talent long employed in Navajo culture—many working together to herd the sheep, plant the corn, bring in a harvest. (10.23)

The code talkers' ability to work together was the main reason that they were so successful in developing and using the code.

The code talkers represent the contribution that the Navajo made in helping America win WWII. Without these guys, it's quite possible that the Japanese would have won the war in the Pacific.

The point is, the contribution that the code talkers make to the war effort highlights what an important part Native Americans play in American history—and we're not just talking about history way back when. We're talking about the (relatively) recent history of World War II.