Obasan | Themes

Prejudice and Tolerance
The root of the internment lies in prejudice. Early in the novel when Naomi is first browsing through Aunt Emily's parcel, there is a nice encapsulation of the problem. Naomi has noted that every time the words “Japanese race” appeared in the new articles or in pamphlets, Aunt Emily has crossed them out and written “Canadian citizens.” Therein lies the problem. Naomi's family was viewed as visitors and then, with the outbreak of war, as the enemy. There is no good reason for this. Asian immigrants to North America were as recent...

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