Jeanne Wakatsuki's Farewell To Manzanar

While others found tragedy in their family separating, Jeanne Wakatsuki found bliss. In, Farewell to Manzanar, despite the difficulties other Japanese Americans had to face, Jeanne found herself amidst the chaos. When she and her family first arrived, staying together was their only priority. However, over time this goal diminished. Jeanne’s father, Papa, began drinking into oblivion which led to the downfall of their bond. Years later, Jeanne discovered, despite the division in her family, she was able to find peace among herself.

Making a life at Manzanar was a major adjustment for the Wakatsukis and many other Japanese Americans. Before families were placed into internment camps, separation began. Families consulted one another on how

to stay together. Jeanne remembers her brothers, “...sitting around the table talking very intently about what we were going to do, how we would keep the family together” (11). The main priority for families was to protect one another. The Wakatsuki’s did everything they could to keep from being separated. Jeanne’s brothers spoke of their plan “intently” because they were determined to protect their loved ones. Their efforts paid off; once arriving they all found themselves huddled in the same barrack. On another account Jeanne recalls, “During the night Mama had unpacked all our clothes and heaped then on our beds for warmth” (17). The barracks that the Japanese Americans were staying in were not protective from harsh weather conditions, hot and cold temperatures, and sand blew into these structures easily. The provided army blankets also provided little protection. Throughout the first night, Jeanne’s mother, Mama, did her best at keeping her children safe. However, this order vanished, once the reality of the camps set in and when Jeanne’s father, Papa, returned.

Jeanne’s father had previously been accused of transporting oil to Japanese ships. When he returned the family had already begun to distance themselves. Papa coming back was not the only line drawn. Arguing broke out, “over matters like that for six months, until my sister and her husband left to harvest sugar beets in Idaho” (16). Many were tired of the unfair treatment set for Japanese Americans. Jeanne’s sister’s decision to leave started the official division. Leaving for Idaho was a change for the rest of the family too, but it did not compare to Papa’s arrival. Papa felt weak because he no longer held control. Jeanne’s brothers did the biding now. He was lost and, “He did not yet have the strength to resist it. He exiled himself, like a leper, and he drank” (49). Drinking and isolation became his coping mechanism. Others out of the Wakatsukis noticed his habits too, which resulted in anger from Papa. He takes his anger out on his family; he beats Mama and yells often. There were many factors that drove the Wakatsukis away from one another, such as standing up for one’s self and oblivion. These obstacles encouraged Jeanne to find herself amongst the havoc.

Life in camps was a struggle for Japanese Americans in the beginning but soon became a manageable life.

This is when Jeanne was about to truly discover who she was. Jeanne Wakatsuki was able to attend high school and participate in school activities. While attending, she became nominated for Carnival Queen. The nomination came as a surprise, but an even bigger shock when she won. While walking down to accept her crown, she realized, “I never wanted to change my face or to be someone other than myself” (123). Acceptance was all that Jeanne longed for. She didn’t want to have to change herself to please others when the only person she needed to please was already satisfied, herself. Winning Carnival Queen opened Jeanne up to self-acceptance; she continued this attitude throughout her life. While she visited Manzanar with her family years later, she reflects on her experience. She admits to herself that, “until this trip, I had not been able to admit that my own life really began there” (140). Papa and others may have lost themselves, but Jeanne found her true love for being a Japanese American. To her, hardships were worth the outcome. Separation helped Jeanne understand the meaning of being your own person, and she was able to accept that she was not like everyone

else.

Jeanne Wakatsuki would never have been able to find herself if her family had not divided years before. Despite Mama’s efforts to keep the family together, slowly they faded away from each other. Without tolerance, Jeanne’s sister left, and her father, despite physically being there, was not the same when he returned. All of these factors helped Jeanne become who she was supposed to be; accepting and understanding. All of the events that the Wakatsukis endured, helped Jeanne become who she was supposed to be.