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.
