While there are few examples of nuclear warfare in history, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan serve as one of them. Many forget with all the threats from foreign countries like North Korea, that the United States is still to this day to the only country use this warfare. At the tail end of World War II, the US made a decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The end result was over 100,000 casualties, two demolished cities, and an end to arguably the most impactful wars in history (Cleary, "Fact File: Hiroshima and Nagasaki"). This was an astonishing amount of death, even in war. Hiroshima: aftermath of the atomic bomb by Stanley Troutman shows a man looking upon what once was the city of Hiroshima, but is now a wasteland of debris. When looking at the man, rubble, and the diminished building, it is evident that an entire city has been transformed into a wasteland as a result of war. This is important not only because of the damage, but when looking at the man and city in rubble there are no clear indications that the man is Japanese or that the city is in Japan. Therefore, the utter destruction of the city could happen anywhere and affect anyone.

The man is surrounded by rubble that makes up the majority of the photo (Troutman). Within the rubble, there are three key elements that allude to a city once populated. First, there are metal rods and broken up wall, suggesting that there was once infrastructure. This supports the idea that this wasteland was once a city, populated densely with large amounts of people.  Additionally, the rubble is not laid flat, but rather in piles. This implies that there once multiple storied buildings that collapsed in heaps of rubble. To further support this idea, we can see that there is a wheel emerging from the mound of debris. This was either once a bike or some sort of motorized bicycle, but gives the viewer evidence that this city was inhabited during the blast. It also gives one reason to believe that the owner of this bike was killed during the blast, since the bike half buried in rubble. This picture illustrates that was once a thriving and large city, is now nothing but piles of debris with no signs of life (Troutman). Although there is evidence of a bomb destroying this city based on the evidence, no evidence points towards the fact that the ruin was once Hiroshima, Japan. While there are fragments of a bicycle and evidence of failed infrastructure of buildings, these are both general information. Many cities across the globe would look very similar if there was a bomb dropped on it; this city could be anywhere. Not only does the evidence in the photo point to signs of nuclear warfare, but the general details allude to the fact that this city could be anywhere.

In the distance, a building stands alone among the refuse. This seems to be the object of the man's attention. The building ignites thoughts of the devolution of mankind, and illustrates the outcome of nuclear warfare. We can assume the damage to the building was a direct result of a bomb. This four-story building still has some walls standing, while the rest have been blown off which points towards an explosion. When taking a closer look at the building in the photo, it looks as if the building had a dome on top (Troutman). Also, there is a wall on the perimeter of this building, which seems to go around the entire building. This can mean a number of things, but most importantly highlights that this building was likely an important structure. If walls were placed around this building, chances are it was something of significance worth protecting. This is important because many cities, especially Capitals, have buildings of higher priority and importance. Although the evidence in the photo points towards the building being of higher significance, this merely limits the possibilities for possible cities, if at all, where this picture was taken (Troutman). Realistically, this building could be almost anywhere on the globe, reinforcing the fact that the outbreak of war can affect anyone, anywhere.

When observing the picture, we can see that the man is placed at the center overlooking what was once a city and is now a rubble-filled wasteland (Troutman). The man is alone and hunched over, looking as if he is just now taking it all in; he seems to have no immediate reaction to the fact that this city has been destroyed. Additionally, this man is alone, and a possible inference one can make is that this bombing has had a direct impact on his life. The fact that he is alone suggests that the bombing of this city killed his family. Although we can see the man and his posture, one aspect we cannot see is his face. Therefore, it is very possible that this man is not even of Japanese descent or citizenship. The fact that we can only see his back leaves his race in ambiguity. Theoretically, this man could be of any racial descent, because regardless of race or location, everyone would have a similar reaction at the sight of their city and home destroyed. Although we can't see his face, his shrugged body language exhibited in the photo shows a sense of disbelief, an emotion that any race would have when looking upon their city destroyed (Troutman). Regardless of this man's racial descent or whether this bombing affected him directly/indirectly, war has left this man in disbelief and is important because this could happen to anyone, anywhere not just this man in Hiroshima.

When simply looking at this photograph, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint where this man is from or where the photo was taken (Troutman). While this man is likely Japanese, Stanley Troutman took this picture with the man's back towards him, leaving his race up in the air. This leaves the viewer wondering whether or not he is visiting the site or has connection to it. Either way, the man is astonished at the sight, and is an example of how war can affect anyone. The rubble gives evidence that this city was once flourishing with tall buildings and life. The remains of a building in the background are the lone structural survivor in this picture, and shows what this city once was. The general details of rubble and signs of life such as failed infrastructure and bicycles is evidence to the fact that this was once a populated city, but not the actual location. Hopefully pictures like this portray to the world today the very real consequences of nuclear warfare and that is something future generations never have to worry about.
