Silence In Joy Kogawa's Obasan

Silence is one of the most powerful themes in Joy Kogawa's Obasan(1981)² that there is no character in the novel who is not affected by its obtrusive presence. The story warns us about the dangers of being silent and how silence can lead to long-lived anger and resentment, however it also argues that keeping quiet may have some benefits. This essay will discuss the different roles of silence with its all dimensions aiming to show its strengths and weaknesses.

Throughout the novel we see how identity, culture, memory -both personal and communal- and language are closely tied to each other. Identity is a pretty loose concept especially talking about cultural identities, but what one can say is that language(or lack thereof) in all aspects is an important part of one's cultural identity. If we take language as one of the main instances for identity, especially the Japanese Canadian identity, it is important to remember that this Japanese Canadian community is fragmented into three parts: Issei, Nisei, Sansei. Their language, like their community, is also fragmented into three parts: part English, part Japanese and part …show more content…
When the persecution of Japanese Canadians begins in 1941, Obasan and her husband, Uncle Sam, tell Naomi that "the old grandmother is very ill" and "they will come back", but never speak of the real danger itself. Naomi, as a child at that time, is aware that various conflicts exist through "whispers and frowns and too much gentleness", but prevented by the adults from understanding them fully. When Obasan and Sam learn that the long-lost mother was severely injured by the atomic bomb dropped in Nagasaki in 1945, they refuse to tell Naomi and Stephen and keep it a secret for almost ten years for the good of the children: "kodomo no tame." This culturally coded silence eventually results in a perpetuation of

Show More

Related Documents: Silence In Joy Kogawa's Obasan

Silence In Joy Kogawa's Obasan Essay