Naomi’s Character Transformation in Obasan
Introduction
Obasan is an award-winning novel authored by the Japanese-Canadian named Joy Kogawa. It was initially published in 1981 by Dennys O. and Lester. The novel bases on the perception of a young child. It involves the persecution and internment of people of Japanese descent residing in Canada during the 2nd World War. Obasan received several awards from the time of its release, including 2005, ‘One Book,’ One Vancouver selection. Throughout the novel, Kogawa employs excellent use of strong imagery, including that of silence and streams. She also has exciting dreams, as depicted throughout the book. The novel showcases a compelling choice of characters, including the narrator Naomi Nakane, who undergoes a series of transformations aiding in the overall understanding of the story. Moreover, the transformation processes presented by the character aid in depicting the book’s themes, which include; justice, injustice, memory, and forgetting.
Synopsis
Set in Canada, the novel Obasan focuses on the life story of a 36-year-old woman, Naomi Nakane. The character is a middle-school teacher who resides in the rural parts of Canada, Cecil, Alberta, where the novel begins. Naomi’s uncle’s demise prompts her to visit her aunt Aya, the widow whom she refers to as Obasan, a Japanese word for aunt. Upon receiving aunt Emily’s package, Naomi’s stay at Obasan takes an overturn. It becomes an occasion to revisit painful memories of her childhood experiences during the 2nd World War. Aunt Emily’s letters contained details of measures used by the Canadian government, and the impacts they led to the Japanese citizens of Canada. Naomi explains, “Beside each date were the ugly facts of the treatment given to Japanese Canadians” (Kogawa, p. 32). Moreover, through Aunt Emily’s messages, Naomi discovers her mother’s death, which changes her view of World War II and rekindles her childhood memories.
Naomi’s Character Transformation
Besides her being the narrator of the novel Obasan, Naomi’s character evolves from a mysterious one to that of a self-contained adult. Just as explained in the works of Perrine, “The developing character undergoes a permanent change in some aspect of his character, personality, or outlook” (p. 87). Kogawa depicts Naomi as an earnest and almost silent child who turns into an unknowable woman. She suffers various traumas as a girl, including displacement, imprisonment, and sexual molestation. She narrates her severe abuse saying, “Over and over again, not just Old Man Gower but years later there is Percy in Slocan, pressing me against the cave wall during hide-and-go-seek, warning me against crying out” (Kogawa, p. 55). However, as she grows, Naomi shuts herself off her past in an attempt to live a functional adult life.
In the initial chapters of the novel, Naomi is more of a reticent character. She talks very little about her life. She does not give a lot of information about herself; hence the author depicts this character suggesting that she lacks knowledge about herself. However, as the story progresses, Naomi gets enlightened of her past, proving her inquisitive character. The author showcases a great deal about Naomi’s queries relating to her life-encounters. For example, the questions of what happened to her mother frequently preoccupied her. She wondered how to deal with her past; she often asked herself, “Why did my mother not return? After all these years, I find myself wondering, but with the dullness of expecting no response…” (Kogawa, p. 26). Naomi often found herself in a dilemma of whether or not to investigate her past.
Through her suffering and miseries, Naomi stands out as a survivor. She endures the pain of abuse by her next-door neighbour who possibly rapes her; her mother disappears all of a sudden; her family gets displaced from time to time; her father dies, leaving her to work in a beet farm. Moreover, she endures the racism from her students and neighbours as she narrates, “The thistles, it seems to me, are typical of life in the Granton school. From nowhere, the sharp stabs come, attacking me for no reason at all. They come at unexpected times, in passing remarks, in-jokes” (Kogawa, p. 163). She also proves uncomplaining despite the series of disasters that fall upon her. Naomi feels passionate anger and bitterness about the unjust incidents that befall her family. However, she endures all in silence and revisits them with interest once they become her past. By refusing to regard herself as a victim, she depicts a wry and observant character. Reviewing Naomi’s character transformation in Obasan enables one to attain a clear picture of what the Japanese citizens of Canada had to go through to survive. It showcases the negative and painful impact caused by racism and depicts the miseries faced by Japanese individuals both in public and silence.
Conclusion
Obasan is a novel that narrates an exciting story based on a child’s perspective. It involves the persecution and internment of people of Japanese descent residing in Canada during the 2nd World War. The novel showcases a compelling choice of characters, including the narrator Naomi Nakane, who undergoes a series of transformations aiding in the overall understanding of the story. From having a mysterious childhood, Naomi grows to become a self-contained individual who finally learns of her past, revisits her painful memories, which enables readers to attain a clear picture of what the Japanese citizens of Canada had to go through to survive (Kogawa, p. 32). Moreover, the book showcases the negative and painful impact caused by racism and depicts the miseries faced by Japanese individuals both in public and silence. It hence encourages people to love one another and unite in the fight against racism.
Works Cited
Kogawa, Joy. Obasan. 1981. Toronto: Penguin, 2017. Print.
Perrine, Laurence. Story & Structure. 2 Ed. Harcourt, Brace, & World, Inc. Canada, 1966.