CRITICAL ANALYSIS Set in rustic Canada during the years of WWII, Obasan is a look into the life of Noami Nakane, a Japanese Canadian, torn between her background and the ever-scrutinizing eyes of society. Through the eyes of Marilyn Russell Rose, Obasan, the "only fictional account of the historical experience of the Japanese Canadians, attempts to enact historical experience, and to bring the interment to life through imagined characters and invented story." Obasan was the first book to expose the horrors and suffering of the the Japanese Canadians. Published in 1981, the book has brought forth several national issues, and may have influenced Prime Minister Alroney's guarentee for reformation towards Japanese Canadians in 1984. Kogawa explains a detailed account of this trauma in Obasan; to begin with, they were forced to sacrifice many possesions including property and housing due to lack of trust. They were shipped on trains, splitting their families apart to extremely small housing where they were forced to live. Eventually they were shipped again to even worse housing on beet farms, where they would labor, harvesting sugar beets. They were outcasted for a large portion of their lives, not only during the time they were physically transported, but for many years after when they had noones trust. These voids in thier lives created wounds that could be healed, but scars that would always remain. Kogawa creates an intense mental picture of the cruelty and anguish these completly innocent people were put through, simply due to their heritage. You certainly can sympathize, and almost begin to feel what they must have gone through. Kogawa depicts the story of the Nakanes well, and provides a well deserved look at a "historical forgotten". SYNOPSIS It takes no more than an average history class to learn about the horrible tortures undergone by many Jews and Americans throughout World War 11. It is however upon rare occasion that an American learns of the unnecessary pain, torture, grief, and anguish thrown into the lives of the Japanese. Even, upon rare occasion, suffering was shown as statistics and it took a book like Obasan to reveal this horror onto a personnel level. Obasan, is a novel based upon the tortured life of poet, and author Joy Kogawa. Joy Kogawa wrote Obasan to inform the world of the hell she and her family were put through. The book allows us to quantum leap into Joy's tattered soul and see her side of the story. Naomi, the protagonist, never seems to bare the chance to be a child. Neglected by her older brother Stephen at a young age, she was inclined to live up to extremely high expectations. Also, at a young age her mother left her and the family in Canada to go to Japan to take care of Naomi's grandmother. When the war started the family was split in two. CHAPTER SUMMARIES Chapter 1: The main character (Megumi Naomi Nakane) is walking with her Uncle in an area 7 miles from a village called Granton. The two of them come here together once a year. Now however, he is old and has to rest to avoid falling. Naomi describes the land, the rippling grass resembling an ocean. Chapter 2: The date is September 13, 1972. Nakane shows herself in this chapter as a teacher, somewhat insecure with herself. She sinks deeper in her self-pity, when her fifth and sixth grade students call her spinster and old maid. Then to further her descent into sorrow, she receives a call telling her that her beloved Uncle has died. She then drives to her aunts house to grieve. Chapter 3: Naomi arrives at her aunt Obasan's house. The hard bread seems to one common bond that they all can share. Chapter 4: In ch. 4, the main character, Naomi, id describing both sides of her family; the Nakanes and the Katos. She depicted them using the photograph as a visual, characterizing each accordingly. Aunt Obasan's first child was a stillbirth. Her second was born dead as well, and they had no more children after that. Chapter 5: Obasan wakes Naomi late at night and brings her to the attic searching for something although Naomi is unaware of what it may be. It seems to relate to the forgotten dead, as Obasan says “Everybody someday dies.” Chapter 6: This chapter is completely a dream while Naomi Nakane is sleeping. Her dream is of a man and a woman clearing brush and trees. The lady then turns into her aunt and the man appeared as her uncle. When she awakes, Naomi finds the package her aunt Obasan was searching for. Chapter 7: The contents of the package are a scrapbook of newspaper clippings, a manila envelope, a folder and a hardcover journal scribed in aunt Emily’s writing. The package seems to be aunt Emily’s record of the war. A written reminder of the suffering, pain, and silence that had been forced upon the Japanese Canadians throughout W.W.II. Chapter 9: With the package comes flashbacks. Naomi, taking a bath with her grandmother when her older brother, Stephen, was not brave enough. Sitting with her family while her mother sings and plays the piano. Chapter 10: As a child, Naomi wanted to hear the same story over and over again. A story about a great peach picked by a boy. The story is Canadian, and maybe this is why she likes it. It is also revealed that as a child, Naomi never cried or misbehaved. Chapter 11: This chapter deals with an old man named Mr. Gower. He seems very close around Naomi, too close, even to her at age 4. She described and instance when her took her away and into the bathroom to “fix” her knee when it wasn’t hurt. There are others, she says, who have treated Naomi in this way but she has felt too shy to speak out. It is the only secret she had kept from her mother and this causes more guilt. Chapter 13: Naomi’s mother leaves for Japan to take care of Naomi’s Great Grandmother. Something seems wrong in the family that she is too young to understand, but it seems to be related to the war. Chapter 14: Naomi recalls in her past how her grand parents had been taken away, then how various members of her family were also removed. She reads the diary of letters from Nessan. These letters provide a first-hand look at what was done to the Nisei by the government. First, they took many people to the camps, then as time went on, they forced them either to leave or to stay in the horrible camps. There was also the pool where they sent those who wouldn’t submit. Emily and her family were moving to the Ghost-Town but Aya Obasan wouldn’t go and leave Naomi and Stephen alone. Chapter 15: Naomi’s on a train with Stephen and Obasan. They’re leaving the camp. Naomi seems excited about the trip. She seems to express herself through her baby doll. Chapter 17: Obasan left to go to the market. Nomura-Obasan (who’s too weak to stand) has to use the bed pan, but since Naomi can’t find it, she assists her aunt to the outhouse. Naomi’s doll is gone. Chapter 18: Naomi’s grandmother Nakane has died and Obasan tells Naomi she’s gone to heaven. Her grandmother is cremated and Naomi wonders why everyone’s so sad if her grandmother is in a better place. Chapter 19: Naomi’s uncle has returned to them. It brings a lively spirit to the family. However, Naomi doesn’t know where her father is and no one will tell her. Chapter 21: Naomi’s at the lake with Kenji. She meets Rough Lock Bill, but doesn’t like him. Her and Kenji take a rafting ride but the pole breaks and he falls overboard and runs away! Naomi, who can’t swim, jumps into the water and is rescued by Bill. Chapter 22: When Naomi gets out of the hospital, she is faced with the constant torment of white children on her way to school. One day, she comes upon some Japanese children tormenting and killing a chicken. She now has certain places that she avoids. Chapter 23: Nomura-Obasan has moved to her daughter’s house. Naomi and Obasan see her at the public baths. Naomi’s friends can’t play with her because of her race. Their parents have separated them from her. Chapter 25: Naomi’s family and her are moving to a camp due to their racial background. Her mother’s “Silver Threads among the Gold” is broken. Chapter 26: Naomi still hasn’t been told where they’re going. As she boards the train, she wonders where her friends and father are. Chapter 27: In this chapter, there is a quote that seems to describe their lives: “Keep your eyes down. When you are in the city, do not look into anyone’s face. That way they may not see you. That way you offend less.” The war is having a horrible effect on the Japanese Canadians. People are denying their heritage, changing their names to pass for Chinese. Chapter 29: Their new farm suffers from extreme weather and depression. Naomi seems to feel Emily doesn’t understand what they went through. She is too concentrated on revenge, on the hard facts, than with the suffering they had undergone. Chapter 30: Their work in the fields continues. Naomi receives word that her father’s illness is worsening. Her and Stephen face harsh jokes about being Japanese. Stephen makes a name for himself by playing in a talent show. Naomi finds herself hard-pressed to keep up with her brother. Chapter 33: Stephen has been traveling a lot because of his music and piano skills. Aunt Emily comes to visit. Naomi hears them (the adults) whispering late at night. Emily crying, and Obasan praying. About what she doesn’t know. Chapter 34: Naomi’s uncle is dead. Stephen leaves and doesn’t visit often, if at all. Her family is visited by Mr. Barker; the man whose land they’ve worked on for many years. He has come to check up on Obasan, to see if she could make it on her own. Chapter 35: Naomi and Obasan are sitting at home awaiting Aunt Emily and Stephen’s arrival. It seems everyone who’s ever had an effect on Naomi, good or bad, has deserted her with time. Chapter 37: Naomi learns of what the adults had been talking of that evening. It was a letter written by grandma Kato telling of a bombing which had struck her town. It wiped out buildings, families, etc. However, grandma Kato had managed to survive along with Naomi’s mother. Yet, by the time Naomi learns of the bombing, her mother has died. Chapter 38: As Naomi prays to her mother, she resolves some of the anger and unknowing that saw her through childhood. Chapter 39: Naomi still has a lot of grief and self-pity, but it is well-earned. As Obasan kneels at her bed praying, Naomi grabs a coat and slips out the door to visit the coulee, the one place which reminds her of her uncle. BIOGRAPHY Look in obasan2.txt CHARACTER SKETCHES Obasan: She is gentle and warm towards others. She saves everything that is attached to any memory, even down to pieces of string tied on a parcel. Becomes the mother figure in Nomi's life during mother's absence. Uncle: Stubborn and set in his traditions. Exemplified in his refusal to try a new recipe for his rock hard bread. Grandma Kato: She is also gentle, caring, and traditional. She enjoys scorching hot baths. Stephan: He is rebellious, and off balance with his traditions and native culture. Aunt Emily: She is extremely revengeful and feels deprived from the years she lost. She separates from her culture when all her attention is focused on revenge. Mother: She is strong, and silent. Father: He is supportive and caring as a single father. Noami: She is confused with life, she feels like it has been wasted and that she has accomplished nothing. She has no self-assurance. CHARATER ANALYSIS Noami: Quiet and set back from the rest of the world. Naomi lives through analytical eyes. Naomi, is the type of person who just looks on and doesn't assert herself as a participant. Naomi seems to have grown up before her time. While other girls of her age were having tea parties with pink and white laced dolls, she was exposed to the brutal violence and gross sexual misconduct throughout her young life. Due to the growing racism against the Nisei, Naomi and her family experienced the horrific trauma known to few other races. Though Japanese tradition was overshadowed by her brother and aunts frantic attempts to forget the barbaric memories of the past. Naomi has struggled to stand tall, she's strained to maintain a sense of her own self pride. Even during her adult years as a teacher, she think back as to whether she could have made more for herself had things been different. Obasan: Look in obasan2.txt VOCABULARY TERMS Look in obasan2.txt BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 Locker, Frances C, ed. Contemporary Authors, Detroit: Gale Research Co, 1981, pg: 262 2 Willis, Gary. "Kogawa". 1987. Detroit: Gale Research Inc, 1994. pgs 164-195. Contemporary Literary Criticism. vol. 78 Ed. James P. Draper 3 "Obasan", http://www.sbfmedia.com/teach/obasan/ REVIEW QUESTIONS: Question #1: Separated even amongst themselves, Naomi and her family seem to have lived a life of solitude. Express this using examples from the book. Answer #1: Imagine living your entire life in fear. Fear of yourself, of the very blood which pulses through your veins. Fear was everyday life for Naomi’s family. It separated them from their neighbors, set them apart from their friends, and at times, from each other. Naomi Nakane was, like the rest of her family, a Canadian citizen. Fact however, served no shield against appearance. It was the Japanese heritage of the Nakane family which shattered their lives as they attempted to make a living in Canada throughout the years of W.W.II. They were unwelcome at the public baths, and to more of and extreme, were forced from their own homes. Naomi was taught at a young age that she was somehow different and thus, undeserving of the rest of the world. It was in this way that society created a fear of one another, and of the world, that would live within the minds of the Japanese Canadians, perhaps forever. Question #2: Describe how different members of Naomi’s family dealt with the problems created by W.W.II. Answer #2: The Nakane’s were regarded as outcasts along whichever road fate directed them. As citizens of Canada, their race bound like steel against them throughout the years of W.W.II. Yet, they were traitors in Japan, their native country, having lived at one point on the very soil of the enemy. Before long, the Nakane’s were left with no place to turn. Naomi’s Aunt Emily was the first to take action. Outspoken in her ways, Emily attended meetings voicing the unfair treatment dealt upon her, as well as her family, throughout the war. Her demands were simple, respect and apology, and these she was determined to receive. Stephen however (Naomi’s older brother) avoided the many problems which singed the flesh and souls of the rest of the family. His method was simply to ignore his background and continue on with the rest of his life before any serious problems occurred. This failure to recognize his own history set him apart from the rest of the family with a silence that seemed to speak for itself. Naomi’s aunt Obasan expressed her pain and aggression in stubbornness. She was set in the old ways of life, standing strong and untouched by the world, like an evergreen refusing to arch its boughs and give in to the harshness of a winter storm. Finally, there was Naomi. Left standing alone to take it all in. She seemed accepting of her fate, not because she chose to, but rather, because she had no other option. This was in fact the reality of the situation. However cold and harsh in its ways, it way her reality and, like the others, she had learned to live with it. Question #3: Describe a significant trauma Naomi encountered in the course of the novel and how it affected her personality as a character, as well as her role throughout the book. Answer #3: Naomi lived a very impressionable childhood throughout the novel. Perhaps the most important example of this was as a young child when her mother made the decision to return to Japan in order to take care of her grandmother. Naomi’s mother was until that point, the most important figure in her life. She was warm, caring, and confident towards Naomi. Thus Naomi began to rely and depend upon her as do most young children. However, at her mother’s departure, Naomi was left with no one to turn to. She became very shy and soft-spoken, even towards the rest of her family. A trait which would unfortunately remain with her for the rest of her life. Even as an adult, Naomi describes, without knowing it, how she’d come to accept her own insignificance. She refers, at one point, to a dinner date stating that the man most likely found her boring, having never invited her on another. When, in actuality, she was so nervous about making a good impression, that she failed to make any impression at all. Through losing her mother, Naomi lost her self-confidence, her pride and her childhood. Qualities which may never return to her again. STAFF CREDITS Ben Hammond: 1.Web Page Design, Construction, and Overall Creation (Including Table of Contents) 2. All Graphics (except Large Flag, Idea thought of by Tom, created and realized by Ben Hammond 3.Glossary of Terms 4. “obasan.txt” the compilation of everything into one document. 5.Obasan "Theme Song" 6. Group Morale 7. Key Grip 8. All Stunts Kelly: 1. Review Questions 2. Biography of Author * 3. Character Sketches * 4. Character Analysis * 5. Typing 6. Animal Training 7. Voice Coaching Matt: 1. Typing 2. Character Sketches * 3. Character Analysis * 4. All Set Design 5. Karate Fight Scenes (Choreography) Amy: 1. Critical Analysis 2. Biography of Author * 3. Character Analysis * 4. Character Sketches * 5. Karate Fight Scenes (English Voice-Overs) 6. Costume Design 7. Helicopter Rentals 8. Purchasing of Props All: 1. Brief Synopsis of Novel 2. Chapter Summaries and Commentaries 3. Beholding the Power of Cheese 4. Script and Cast Selection * indicates that this piece of work was done with other team members.