Obasan by Joy Kogawa and Naomi Nakane

This novel was one of the first popular works in Japanese literature to be published in Canada, and it quickly became one of the most successful and widely read novels of the 20th century. The novel was so successful that it was reprinted in paperback by Penguin Books in 1983. It is a highly original and moving story that evokes the sensibilities of both Canadian and Japanese cultures, and it beautifully combines their differing perceptions.

Joy Kogawa’s novel

Naomi Nakane is a Japanese Canadian and the main character in Joy Kogawa’s novel Obatsan. Her life in Canada has been complicated by the internment of Japanese Canadians. As a result of this wartime event, Naomi must leave her home and her family and go to an internment camp. But while her experiences were painful, her family’s struggles were not. In the aftermath of the war, Naomi regains her confidence and begins to rebuild her life in Canada.

Maryka Omatsu

Maryka Omatsu, Obasan is an autobiographical novel written by Canadian author Joy Kogawa. Naomi is a schoolteacher from Cecil, Alberta, who lived with her uncle when she was a child. Her visit to her aunt Obasan’s widowed house prompts Naomi to revisit some of her most painful childhood memories. Omatsu skillfully weaves two narratives, one about experience and the other about recollection.

Edward Said

Although the author’s intentions in writing Obasan are largely symbolic, his book has received a wide range of praise. He has been praised for not being didactic or explicitly political. The book’s historical events are given a measure of political closure through the redress process and its sequel, Itsuka. This text culminates in the cataclysmic event of Nagasaki, and provides a counterbalance to Canada’s responsibility for the wartime atrocities committed against Japanese Canadians.

Naomi Kato

“Naomi Kato, Obasan” is the story of a young woman, 36 years old, whose uncle dies suddenly and unexpectedly. She desperately tries to understand the sifterrestress Obasan and penetrate the ”language of grief.” In the process, she discovers the hidden diary of her aunt Emily, who was also killed in the war. The diary reveals a lot about Emily, which makes Naomi reexamine her own life.

Aunt Emily

The novel Aunt Emily Obasan raises a number of questions about identity formation among Japanese immigrants. The narrative is largely focused on the three main female characters - Naomi, Aunt Emily, and her sister, Hajime. In this article, I discuss the problematic nature of the identity formation of female immigrants in Canada, as well as the immigration policies of the Canadian government aimed at interning Japanese during World War II.

Uncle Sam

In the novel ”Obasan and Uncle Sam,” Naomi’s family has been living in Canada for several years. She and her Uncle Sam are originally from Japan, but her parents are American citizens. Though they seem middle class, their home life is in a state of crisis. As the story unfolds, they learn that their Uncle has been deported and that they must leave the country. During their move to Slocan City, Naomi and her Uncle have to deal with the deportation process and the bureaucratic system that decides who will be deported and when. The novel’s characters must grapple with their past and find a way to overcome their painful memories, while learning that it will be their destiny to return to their homeland.

Tuberculosis

Naomi went to a public bath much later than she normally did. There, she meets several classmates bathing in lukewarm water. Naomi tries to play with them, but a woman keeps yelling at her to leave. She has no idea why she is so silent in the bathhouse, but she soon learns that her aunt and other relatives are suffering from tuberculosis.