Essays on Obasan

In the novel Obasan, by Joy Kogawa, the narrator recounts her experience of being relocated to the internment camps during the Second World War. During this time period the Japanese Canadians were considered enemies to all. Consequently, they were treated unfairly, and at times, even...

In the novel, Obasan, Kogawa uses Naomi’s character development to convey that early life racism, internment and abandonment from loved ones can lead to one feeling confused about their identity. The narrator of the novel, Naomi, goes through a series of traumatic events as a...

After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Canada responded quickly by establishing several concentration camps for Japanese civilians of any descent, including Canadians. The individuals in these camps were forcibly removed from their homes, businesses, and even separated from their families. In Joy Kogawa’s novel,...

Animals play an important role in the novels “Obasan” by Joy Kogawa and “The Wars” by Timothy Findley despite meaning two very different things for the characters in each text. In “Obasan,” animal imagery is used to demonize the Japanese-Canadians by comparing the powerlessness and...