This essay investigates the development of Hiroko Tanaka’s character in the novel Burnt Shadows through the critical lenses of exile and displacement. The analysis is done primarily through the works of Edward Said and Stuart Hall. It argues that her development is both internally driven, as well as impacted by outside factors experienced due to displacement, which causes certain prominent characteristics to develop as a result. Chiefly, Hiroko Tanaka’s attitudes towards authority and nations are greatly diminished and she undergoes a strengthening of her ideals of personal morality.