Obasan

by Joy Kogawa

Book Overview

A moving vision of an affront to democratic principles... A tour de force, a deeply felt novel, brilliantly poetic in its sensibility' - New York Times'

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385468865
• ISBN13: 9780385468862
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

deeply moving and elegantly written

I picked "Obasan" from the shelf with new books in the library, motivated by the title and author's name, driven by my fascination with everything Japanese. And, as it came out, I this is exactly what is criticized in the book. Joy Kogawa is Canadian, of the family living in Canada for generations. She is a poet, which has a beautiful influence on her prose, which is very precise whenever she wants it to be, and, on the other hand, full of unique similes and metaphors. The language changes depending on the perspective - the narrator is Naomi Nakane, a 35 year old teacher, who, confronted with the past, goes back to her childhood memories, reads letters from family and officials, and at present takes care of her Uncle's funeral arrangements. The book is not very big, yet it is good to take time to read it, to take it in. Whereas the language is a very strong asset of this novel, the story was extremely moving for me too. Maybe it is only European ignorance- I knew nothing about persecutions and internalization of Canadian citizens of Japanese origin during World War II. I was, shortly speaking, shocked, because I regarded Canada as one of the most liberal countries, caring for the inhabitants. It seems that no nation has an unstained past... It is great that books like "Obasan" are written, because the general unawareness of this problem, especially when Holocaust and Gulags are widely recognized (and there were times when nobody believed in concentration camps in Poland or work camps in Siberia), is absolutely unacceptable. The suffering of one Japanese family, deprived of their belongings, fighting for humane treatment and trying to keep some dignity while treated with disrespect and separated, seen mostly by innocent child's eyes, is a powerful evocation. The issues of racism, different perception of people because of their appearance and roots, children's cruelty, are also discussed. A great and successful effort. I am going to read the second part,"Itsuka", as soon as I can lay my hands on it.

The silence that DOES speak

When I finished Obasan, I felt blown away. This is not just a great piece of Japanese Canadian literature, this is a great book, period. The Internment of Japanese American/Canadian citizens during World War II is a subject that is widely unknown, and a topic that few novelists have been able to capture with as much skill as Kogawa."Obasan" weaves a seamless tale that stretches between generations and spans continents and decades with an almost dreamlike quality. As other reviewers have commented (lamented?) about, there are many dream sequences, all of which have significance as the story is unveiled. The dreams, the "silence that cannot speak," the love that is voiceless and yet vivid, the grief that cries out loudly and yet unheard ... the power of Kogawa's writing lies in being able to interpret and experience this imagery, and feel the pain of the internment as if doing so first hand.I was surprised to see the number of negative reviews this book has received here ... I feel compelled to include my voice with those who thoroughly recommend this book. "Obasan" is the best novel on the internment I have yet to come across, and certainly among the most powerful books I have read. Although Kogawa writes of a silence that does not speak, she breaks the silence beautifully with "Obasan," revealing a history that many do not know, and many do not talk about. This is a story that must be remembered and retold ... so history does not repeat itself.

Obasan, a must-read book

When I first purchased Obasan, I was unsure of how much I would enjoy the book. Fortunately, it turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read. In the novel, Joy Kogawa deals with the Canadian Japanese internment camps during World War II. She does a masterful job of using flashbacks to tell the story through the eyes of a young girl who is forced to move with her family to different camps and farms to survive during the war. Kogawa uses many autobiographical elements in the novel to help tell this magnificent story. Her descriptive language is beautiful and allows the story to flow along at an easy pace. She also utilizes many similes and metaphors to help the reader see what she sees a little better. Although there are not many symbols in the novel, the ones that Kogawa uses are utterly important to the story. Kogawa mainly focuses on themes of prejudice and silence, in which all the characters embody one or the other. The change in setting, both place and time, can be confusing at first, but once the reader catches on, they will become engrossed in the deep plotline. And although the story is written about Japanese Canadians and their struggle to make it during World War II, Obasan is definitely aimed at the general American audience, so that hopefully they will be able to see the light that Joy Kogawa shines on the entire situation. After reading the novel, I can definitely say that I recommend it to any and everyone out there that is interested in the history of the Japanese internment camps and World War II. And even if you aren't it is still a very well put together book that will pull you into its plot and not let you go. This novel is a definite must read for everyone.

Kogawa's Obasan

Obasan is a fictional account of what actions the Canadian government took to control Japanese-Canadians during WWII. Kogawa tells an undeniably historical story about the internment of Japanese-Canadians and its effect on families. She chronicles the journey of a young Japanese-Canadian as she confronts and accepts her past. Kogawa uses a unique point of view, extended metaphors, and official as well as personal documents and letters to tell her story. Obasan is told through the eyes of Naomi Nakane, a Canadian-born Japanese woman. The story is often hard to understand because it is told from 36-year old Naomi through flashbacks. Throughout her life Naomi has tried hard to forget about her painful past, but her strong-willed Aunt Emily helps her remember. Thus Kogawa starts her use of flashbacks, skipping around the years of Naomi's life often making it hard to piece her life together. Kogawa tells much of Naomi's story from the eyes of a young child, which helps the reader see the internment of Japanese-Canadians more truthfully.Kogawa also uses extended metaphors throughout her novel. One example is her continual comparison of Japanese-Canadians to birds. The birds in the book are always weak, helpless, and at the mercy of others. By her use of this metaphor, Kogawa is saying that the Japanese-Canadians are controlled by and at the hands of white Canadians. Another more horrific metaphor she uses to portray the same belief is in comparing the treatment of the Japanese in Canada to young Naomi being raped as a child. The rape and molestation of Naomi when she was four-years old permeates the entire book. It illuminates Kogawa's belief that the Japanese-Canadians were being horribly taken advantage of by their own government during and after WWII.Finally, Kogawa uses official and personal documents to give validity to Obasan. She first uses newspaper clippings and government documents given to Naomi from Aunt Emily. These clippings helped Naomi to leave behind her indifferent attitude to embrace an interested and involved attitude toward the wartime treatment of Japanese-Canadians. However, the most influential factor that changed Naomi's attitude was a letter from her grandmother, who went with Naomi's mother before the war to Japan. Naomi has always been obsessed about finding out what has happened to her mother because she has not had any corrospondance with her for years. However, the letter reveals everything, and it is disclosed that her mother was a victim of the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima, Japan. Obasan is a beautifully written book that tells the story of a woman coming to terms with a painful and degrading past. It also informs readers of an event that few know happened, but nearly parallels the Holocaust of the Jews in Europe. This book is great for anyone interested in history, the Japanese culture, and the trends that human nature follows in treating othe

Obasan as a Lesson, by Rose M. Lemke

Based on Joy Kogawa's personal experiences, Obasan reveals the Japanese-Canadian conditions during World War II. Kogawa recalls the removal, exile, and dispersion of first and second generation Canadians of Japanese descent through the eyes of Megumi Naomi Nakane, a Japanese-Canadian born June 18, 1936 in Vancouver, British Columbia (9). Using diverse voices, Kogawa employs personal accounts, symbolic dreams, childhood tales, traditional lyrics, intimate letters and official documents that intermesh and unleash various perspectives. Obasan captures a culture's unique use of language in regard to how people communicate within their culture as well as how their communication is influenced by other cultures; Obasan is a lesson in traditional values, religious beliefs, and recent history.Naomi's interactive experiences model how traditional values are passed from generation to generation. She develops communication skills and proper etiquette from her elders, which are either reinforced or altered as a result of her environment. One tradition instilled in Naomi is the language of eyes. For generations, her family has invoked beliefs that eye contact should not contradict intent. For example, to stare in any situation would be considered disrespectful, so unless one's intent is to disrespect someone, one should never stare. Naomi's childhood experiences show that the eyes of Japanese motherhood are "steady and matter of fact. They are eyes that protect, shielding what is hidden most deeply in the heart of a child" (71). This language of the eyes goes hand in hand with basic etiquette and verbal communication. When it's apparent that someone has performed an act that would typically be punished under European etiquette, there is to be no blame. Naomi is not scolded for murdering several chicks by subjecting them to the attack of a hen; instead, mother and daughter have a calm conversation about carelessness being dangerous (72).As a third generation immigrant, Naomi continues to! use terms of endearment such as "Obasan" and "Ojisan" in reference to respected elders. She also accepts traditional practices such as communal nudity in regard to bathing. She finds comfort in bathing with her aunt, and complies with the necessity of bathing in the public bathhouse: "We are one flesh, one family, washing each other or submerged in the hot water" (191). All of the latter examples may be rejected when viewed through western ethnocentric eyes; however, ancestral beliefs heavily influence Naomi through verbal and written words, thus she accepts and respects such tradition.Obasan reveals how traditional entertainment such as European tales and classical song lyrics influence Japanese Canadian families. Naomi's comparison of her family's situation to the tale of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" shows how she embraces a story of the majority population as part of her identity (149). Throughout the novel, the influence such fairy tales have on Naom