The government is an assertive body of power that cannot be taken down by the lower class. Aunt Emily tries to rebel against the government with letters and petitions, but her efforts mean nothing against the government. By believing that she can overcome the class struggle against the government, Aunt Emily lets her family down. By analysing ‘Obasan’, by Joy Kogawa, through the Marxist Lens, readers understand how Aunt Emily’s efforts to overcome oppression are ineffective, which displays the difference in political power between the government and its citizens. In Obasan, Joy Kogawa uses literary devices to represent how Aunt Emily’s attempts to rebel against the bourgeoisie fail since the government is unconcerned about the Japanese Canadian's health, and they view her …show more content…
They realise that attempts at rebellion are useless, but Aunt Emily does not care. She continues to shine a light on old issues that most people do not want to relive, to get justice for people who do not desire justice. Japanese Canadians have experienced the extent of power that the bourgeoisie holds and know that trying to escape the class struggle will not end well for them. As the proletariat, Japanese Canadians have first-hand experience of the political power that the bourgeoisie holds. The government holds the authority and resources to seize property, enslave and relocate the Japanese Canadians whenever they want. Secondly, Kogawa uses Aunt Emily’s dignity to display how she believes she can overcome oppression to get her family to safety, but fails instead. When the government forces Japanese Canadians to move out, Aunt Emily “wrote asking for written assurance that I could continue negotiations with Slogan about going to Toronto./I was so excited and happy, I assumed that included Dad and Aya and the kids. The next day, Mrs. Booth said the permit was only for the Kato
Considering that Obasan was Japanese born, she is more inclined to the traditions of Japanese culture, and family is something to be cared for above all else. As families are ripped apart, Obasan steps in and takes on the task of caring for Naomi and Stephen as they are quickly orphaned. She dedicates her whole being to feeding and clothing these children even in the most difficult situations. She is completely committed to their care, even when they neglect her as seen by Stephen when he regards her with impatience and a rude attitude. For example, moodily telling Obasan to, "talk properly" (Kagawa, 72). According to Naomi, Obasan represents the Japanese ideal of not to be "wagamama - selfish and inconsiderate" (Kagawa, 110). She always considers the needs of others and is giving even if she has nothing - especially for Naomi and Stephen. She automatically moves to make the people around her content and comfortable. Emily also values her family, but she holds the importance of defending her people - the Japanese Canadians - over everything else. After the final entry in Aunt Emily's journal, Naomi states, "The following day, May 22, 1942, Stephen Aya Obasan, and I are on a train for Slocan. It is twelve years before we see Aunt Emily again." (Kagawa, 95). That's it, they do not see Aunt Emily for another twelve years. Given the time, it may have been difficult to make the journey to reunite with Naomi, Stephan, Obasan and others, but it would still be
As Naomi says, Emily is a “word warrior.” She reads and rereads documents, writes letters, and goes to conferences to learn and understand more about what happened to the Japanese during WWII. Naomi is reluctant to talk about the events of the war, but Aunt Emily must talk about it. Naomi says, “Injustice enrages Aunt Emily. Any injustice. Whether she’s dealing with the Japanese-Canadian issue or women’s rights or poverty, she’s one of the world’s white blood cells, rushing from trouble spot to trouble spot with her medication pouring into wounds seen and not seen” (Kogawa 41). Aunt Emily is an ambitious and hard working woman who will not stand for the mistreatment of others. She is very passionate and articulate in her speeches and seems to have a response for everything in the instances that Naomi tries to participate in a conversation. She fills her mind with so much information that she can have a stance on everything. She tells Naomi, “There is no strength in seeing all sides unless you can act where real measurable injustice exists” (Kogawa 42). With this argument, Naomi concedes, which signifies another “battle” won for Emily. When in the car, Naomi says Emily “bulldozed on” (Kogawa 42) with all of her commentary and insights. “Bulldozed” indicates a relentless power that exists within Aunt Emily’s spirit, thus making her a true
The turning point of “Sea Oak” is Aunt Bernie’s resurrection in which the seemly contemporary story has turned into a horror fantasy. Rising from death, Aunt Bernie has not only gained her energy but also her dissatisfaction about her previous living condition. She angrily yells to her family members, ‘“Because I am getting me so many lovers. Maybe you kids don’t know this but I died at freaking virgin. No babies, no lovers. Nothing went in, nothing came out. Ha ha!”’ (9). Using the repetition of “No” and “Nothing”, Saunders depicts Bernie’s life with an absolute emptiness. The change of Bernie’s character from a generous, optimistic lady to a selfish, scary authoritative figure has placed a situational irony for readers. In Jennifer L. Hochschild’s book Facing Up to the American Dream: Race, Class, and the Soul of the Nation,” she argues that “Americans are exhorted to ‘go for it’” (Hochschild 21). Carrying the burden of a big family with more than half lazy hands, Bernie never follows this slogan to fight for her own rights, and her ambition to chase her dreams only rises after her death. Though she has worked hard her whole life, she doesn’t die in peace, The good-hearted Bernie who sacrifices her life to support her family but still dies regretfully. This ironic path of Bernie’s life is Saunders’ mockery to awaken diligent working class people as well as his
The world is filled with different kinds of hatred caused by different reasons. For instance, people may hate others because of their gender, or for having different beliefs. Perhaps people hate others based on their cultural representation instead of who they really are as an individual, whether that representation is a religion or a race. This single fact of racial discrimination has caused many terrible and tragic events in history such as the holocaust, slavery, and among them is the evacuation and relocation of Japanese Canadians during World War II. In the novels ¡®Obasan¡¯ and ¡®Itsuka¡¯ by Joy Kogawa, the main protagonist Naomi and her family go through the mistreatment and racial discrimination, which occurred to all Japanese Canadians during World War II. Obasan, which focuses on the past, and Itsuka, which focuses on the present, are novels that are similarly based around Naomi¡¯s experiences during the war. These painful experiences leave Naomi with tormenting memories, which she will never forget or fully recover from. However, Naomi¡¯s strong beliefs help her to eventually overcome the immense hardships. Finally, Naomi¡¯s past is becomes the very soil that allowed fruition of her future. Both novels Obasan and Itsuka are similar in a way that it is focused on protagonist Naomi¡¯s experiences during the relocation, with her strong faith allows her to overcome the hardship and realize her past has constructed her future.
In life, there will always be ghastly memories standing in one’s way from achieving eternal happiness. It is up to mankind to determine how individuals should overcome adversity so they can experience the blissfulness that life has to offer. In Joy Kogawa’s novel, Obasan, Naomi’s experience throughout her life reveals the conflict between man versus self. Naomi seeks to find balance between remembering and forgetting her tragic childhood. Kogawa demonstrates how eradicating one’s past, dwelling on previous experiences, experiencing trauma, and shielding another from trauma can lead to one’s corruption.
Yet, the success of the redress movement could only be fully achieved once Japanese Canadians were able to fully realize the pain and intensity of the trauma inflicted upon them. While the groups Aunt Emily symbolizes catalyzed this process for many Japanese Canadians, their memories ultimately allowed them to push past their feelings of defenselessness and into a state of resistance that stood for a return of their identity – that being their Canadian citizens rights. As Naomi’s memories become more vivid within Obasan, she too reaches the realization that she was wronged. She lashes out at her aunt...
Because of the way she is raised, Miss Emily sees herself as "high society," and looks down upon those who she thinks of as commoners. This places her under the harsh scrutiny of the townspeople who keep her under a watchful eye. The only others who see Miss Emily as she sees herself are the Mayor Colonel Sartoris, and Judge Stevens.
Marxist criticism leaves society thinking that dominant classes overpower social order. However, its goal is to present ideas of changing social realities, so future generations will know all people are important and equal. During the Victorian period, a Governess was faced with contradictory burdens leaving them uneasy with status imbalance. The governess is uncomfortable with the fact that she could be similar to the servants/ghosts, because she still feels that she is above them socially. Her desire to break out of the class structure, yet her inability to do so, shows her dependence on the structure. From her first moments at Bly or the “castle of romance”, she instantly feels the conflict between her emotional...
life and looked for a way to gain her freedom. Emily must endure her fathers
The state of a flawed society is an issue that many people recognize, but have different ways of approaching it. In the case of William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily” he examines the raw truth of the act of avoiding a flawed and evolving society. Whereas, “A Doll’s House” by Katherine Mansfield portrays the way that a flawed society can change through small acts of resistance that break the boundaries of social hierarchies. Both Mansfield and Faulkner use houses as symbols of a flawed society in their stories, however the manner in which they use these symbols are very different.
Being a “we” and not an “I,” a reader is left to decipher the identities of the narrator. The narrator talks about the men and women, allowing the reader to decide that the voice is both male and female. This narrator also discusses what happened after the Civil War and Miss Emily’s death. This variety of members to the narrator impacts the story by explaining how Miss Emily grew up, how she lived through adulthood, and what happened after her death. The way the point of view almost intrudes on Miss Emily’s life reminds readers that even though the story is in first person perspective, it is also outside of Miss Emily’s reclusive life. The way the narrator speaks without respect to time, allows readers to understand what the narrator believes in regard to Miss Emily. Had they spoke chronologically, the shock at the end of the story would not have made as much of an impact. Readers would not be able to go along with the narrator’s opinions that Emily is not crazy; readers would automatically conclude the Emily is crazy. Similarly to “A Rose for Emily,” a crazy main character appears in “The Yellow
Joy Kogawa’s novel Obasan is the story of discrimination, identity, and silence in the Japanese - Canadian community during and after World War II. Kogawa places a special emphasis on silence, speech, as well as the positive and negative aspects of both. In the novel, Kogawa contrasts silence and speech by illustrating through Obasan and Aunt Emily, respectively, while also demonstrating Naomi’s confusion of whether she should be silent or vocal about her feelings and views. Obasan’s silence is representative of her traditional Japanese values while Aunt Emily’s outspoken tendencies represent her message of being a Canadian. Speaking out about issues is an ideology most would associate with western society and
The Yellow Wallpaper and The Awakening were two works written during the Age of Expression. The entire country was going through an era of Reconstruction; politically, socially, culturally and econmically . The Yellow Wallpaper and The Awakening are feminist works aimed at the psychological, social, and cultural injustices during the era. According to Mizruchi, “ Cosmopolitanism aroused dis-ease: depression and disaection were prevalent in a society whose pace and variety seemed relentless. Yet the same circumstances also instilled hope. For it was widely recognized that the burgeoning heterogeneity of a newly global America would be a source of enduring vitality.”(Mizruchi, 2008) The wives portrayed in these works defeated the attitudes of their husbands during this patriarchal culture.
William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a short story told from the point of view of an unnamed narrator and opens with the death of Miss Emily Grierson, an elderly woman that the reader quickly learns that the town views more as a character than an actual human being. Through flashbacks, the mysterious and haunting tale of Emily is revealed. As a child, Emily was the member of an aristocratic family, but has now long been living in relative poverty in the former grand home of her family after her father left her with no money. The product of the Civil War South, Emily never moved past the social customs of her youth, and refused to live according to modern standards. This becomes evident when she accepts the mayor’s hidden charity under the guise of her never owing taxes due to a lie that her father had loaned the town money and this was how the town would re...
Women throughout history have always been oppressed by men, in being denied suffrage up until 1918, to be denied equal rights in education and the workplace and even today with the revelations of sexual exploitation of women in Hollywood. The elimination of patriarchy is a main goal of feminist ideology, in order to create a society where women are no longer oppressed and exploited by men. Patriarchy literally means ‘rule by the father’ (Heywood, p. and refers to the dominating role that men play in society. Eistenstein described it as ‘a political culture which favours men’ (1981, p.8) Feminists believe that these divisions run far deeper than other divisions e.g class or gender etc. Within feminist ideology the different strands each have