The journey in a novel can be accomplished physically, mentally or both as a character portrays aspects of their physical travel as well as traveling to seek or fulfill a goal. In Joy Kogawa’s Obasan, Naomi Nakane narrates her experiences with her family as they suffer prejudice of being Japanese Canadians while traveling to different provinces in attempts of getting away from incrimination of those injustices. It is shown how the constant movement from one place to another throughout Naomi’s life adds to the lack of communication and language their family faces presenting the theme of silence. Naomi begins the narrative of her childhood experiences in Vancouver where she remembers the happiness being in the house, but also darkness of the world outside. She states that “Inside the house in Vancouver there is confidence and laughter…But outside…there is an infinitely unpredictable, unknown, and often dangerous world” (Kogawa 69) …show more content…
This darkness is when she recalls her painful memories of sexual assault by her neighbor, Old Man Gower, causing her to become silent herself and not share anyone the sufferings she deals with. She is defenseless against her attacker and her silence causes her to be alone in grief. Naomi’s home in Vancouver is also the place the ties the connection with her mother; as her mother leaves for Japan, the only memories left between each other are in that house; time passes as the five year old Naomi waits for her mother’s return even though it will never happen. Naomi’s travel to other cities and provinces in turn causes her memories with her mother to slightly deteriorate. The home is Vancouver also presents the challenges the family faces as some of member of the family and friends are placed in internments camps. The physical movement is shown since Vancouver was a place where the entire Japanese race was sent away. Aunt Emily describes in her diary the adversities faced by the people placed in
Beyond that, Highway brings back Okimasis’s past promises with his wife to enrich the overall significance of the passage. The race is no longer a selfish desire to prove Okimasis’ superiority, but it becomes a quest for a buried love, for a miracle in his other half’s life. The author accentuates that meaningful past promises motivate one to rise through difficulties and empower him or her to achieve the present
...cial or not to suffer in silence as she deals with the many tragedies she faces especially the circumstances surrounding her mother. As an adult, Naomi has to decide if it is more important to reflect on her memories as expected from her Aunt Emily, or to repress the harsh memories of her past like Obasan and her Uncle did. She must also figure out how to assimilate in Canada as a third generation Japanese immigrant. These themes and the multi-layered character development are what are remembered by the reader once they finish the novel. I find this important because it is these themes and character development that relate this story to the other Asian American literature stories I have read in class. Therefore, although Obasan is technically an Japanese Canadian novel, the similarities between this stories, and the ones from Asian American writers are undeniable.
prejudice can be defined as the judgement inflicted toward an individual or on a group because it or they appear to be different in social status, nationality, and all other superficialities which pertain to the individual or group. However, prejudice comes from both within and with out. Such acts appear within the novel, Obasan by Jow Kogawa. In Obasan, the main character, Naomi Nakane, journeys through a path of old, forgotten memories which she remembers as the times of discrimination which she and her family experienced together. Through the past experiences of Naomi, Kogawa demonstrates that prejudice comes from noth within the individual and with out by the society.
Through this, it is apparent that painful memories resurfacing from one's past can haunt them forever and leave them scarred eternally. Kogawa's use of vivid descriptions within the story further helps convey how traumatizing memories can negatively affect an individual for the rest of their life. For example, when Naomi worries about her older brother, Stephen, finding out about her dark past, she claims: "If Stephen comes he will see my shame. He will know what I feel, and the knowing will flood the landscape. There will be nowhere to hide [...] I am Snow White in the forest, unable to run. He is the forest full of eyes and arms. He is the tree root that trips Snow White. He is the lightning flashing through the dark sky” (Kogawa, 69). Here, the author directly associates Naomi's inability to hide her shame to the helpless Snow White; unable to disguise herself in a forest where everything seems as if they are monitoring her. The author also assigns human values to the forest, such as it having eyes and arms to relate to Naomi's brother being able to see right through her and read what is on her
Novels satisfy a human compulsion to peer into the lives of others and to see ourselves reflected in their narratives. Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic uses a nontraditional narrative approach to explore the experience of the Japanese “picture brides” and their lives in America. Through an unusual narrative structure and point of view, the novel emphasizes the unique experience of each Japanese woman featured (however briefly) in the narrative while suggesting an underlying universality in their lives.
By nature, human beings are scared of new things. Whether it be trying something new, or venturing to a place whose culture and way of life is considered foreign, the idea of drifting from our zone of comfort may be frightening. In the world of literature, this theme is recurring and offers readers a sense of what those characters feel as they cross that border or take a risk. The novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, displays the protagonists adventuring into the wild and uncivilized Mexico in an attempt to begin a new life. In Shūsaku Endō’s religious novel Silence, the reader journeys with the Jesuit missionaries while on their perilous attempt to lead the abandoned Japanese christians. No matter the reason for their journey,
Yoko Ogawa’s “Revenge” was an entertaining but frustrating puzzle. These eleven stories loosely relate. However, to the extent that the stories relate, they relate only in pieces. It is hard to see coherent link. However, there are a few notable links that this paper analyzes. As Ogawa says through one of her characters, her work has the power to make the reader, “plunge” into the “icy current running under her words.” It is impossible for readers to thaw her “icy current”. However, it poses the kind of challenge that absorbs readers as they try chipping away at the icy details that connect her work.
Like walking through a barren street in a crumbling ghost town, isolation can feel melancholy and hopeless. Yet, all it takes is an ordinary flower bud amidst the desolation to show life really can exist anywhere. This is similar to Stephen’s journey in The Samurai’s Garden. This novel is about an ailing Chinese boy named Stephen who goes to a Japanese village during a time of war between Japan and China to recover from his disease. By forming bonds with several locals and listening to their stories, he quickly matures into a young adult. Throughout the novel, Gail Tsukiyama shows how disease forces Stephen into isolation; however, Matsu’s garden and Sachi lead him out of solitude.
One strength found in Gordon’s book is the fact that these are the personal memoirs of these travelers and therefore allows the readers to connect on a more personal level. This personal connection causes the reader to be more invested in the story and therefore truly strive to understand the world portrayed instead of just shallowly absorbing the setting. This is a strength because it gave the reader unique outlook on the Asian cultures because the audience feels personally involved in these situations. There are a few weaknesses in the book.
...story. Ozeki reinvents herself to realize her own personal truth and creates a new identity with the shards of family history. Though she still shows traces of resentment toward her Japanese ancestry, she eventually grasps onto these roots, for they, along with her American roots, entwine to create the person she is today. To reject any part of oneself is to reject the whole thing; Ozeki unites her Japanese roots with her American origins, creating a yin and yang relationship sustaining in an intricate harmony.
Traveling from her war-torn homeland in search of safety, and freedom, with only her mother’s comfort, such a long and anxious journey was a reality for young Ziba.
Like walking through a barren street in a crumbling ghost town, isolation can feel melancholy and hopeless. Yet, all it takes is something like one flower bud to show life really can exist anywhere. This is similar to Stephen’s journey in The Samurai’s Garden. This novel is about an ailing Chinese boy named Stephen who goes moves to a Japanese village during a time of war between Japan and China to recover from his disease. By forming bonds with several locals and listening to their stories, he quickly matures into a young adult. Throughout the novel, Gail Tsukiyama shows how disease forces Stephen into isolation; however, his relationship with Sachi and his time spent in Matsu’s garden lead him out of solitude.
Soon after Papa’s arrest, Mama relocated the family to the Japanese immigrant ghetto on Terminal Island. For Mama this was a comfort in the company of other Japanese but for Jeanne it was a frightening experience. It was the first time she had lived around other people of Japanese heritage and this fear was also reinforced by the threat that her father would sell her to the “Chinaman” if she behaved badly. In this ghetto Jeanne and he ten year old brother were teased and harassed by the other children in their classes because they could not speak Japanese and were already in the second grade. Jeanne and Kiyo had to avoid the other children’s jeers. After living there for two mo...
A physical journey occurs as a direct result of travelling from one place to another over land, sea or even space. The physical journey can occur individually or collectively, but always involves more than mere movement. Instead physical journeys are accompanied by inner growth and development, catalysed by the experiences and the decisions that impact the outcome of the journey. These journey concepts and the interrelationship between physical and emotional journeys is exemplified in the text; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, the children’s book Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers and the film Stand By Me directed by Rob Reiner.
Kogawa, Joy. "Obasan." An Anthology of Canadian Literature in English. Ed. Donna Bennett and Ed.