Obasan | Themes
The themes of prejudice and the need to foster tolerance run through the novel from the beginning. According to Kogawa, the root of the internment lies in prejudice. Early in the novel when Naomi is first browsing through her Aunt Emily's parcel, there is a nice encapsulation of the problem. Naomi notes that every time the words "Japanese race" appeared in the news articles or in pamphlets, Aunt Emily has crossed them out and written "Canadian Citizens." Like most Asians, Naomi's family was viewed as visitors and then, with the outbreak of war, as the enemy. The scapegoating of the...
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