Obasan: Analysis of Major Characters
"Obasan" is a profound exploration of the Japanese Canadian experience, particularly through its major characters who embody various responses to trauma, identity, and cultural heritage. The protagonist, Naomi Nakane, is a thirty-six-year-old elementary teacher grappling with her past, shaped by childhood abuse and a sense of disconnection from her heritage. Her aunt Ayako, known as "Obasan," represents a muted resilience, enduring personal and cultural hardships while choosing silence as a coping mechanism. In contrast, Emily Kato, Naomi's politically active aunt, challenges this silence, advocating for a more vocal acknowledgment of their shared history.
Naomi's family is further enriched by complex figures such as her father, Mark Nakane, whose struggle with tuberculosis and loss of voice metaphorically reflect the family's broader struggles. Stephen Nakane, her older brother, experiences a tension between his artistic success and his cultural identity, often rejecting his heritage in favor of Western ideals. The narrative is further framed by Uncle Isamu’s funeral, which serves as a poignant reminder of the family's history and the lingering effects of their relocation. Finally, Reverend Nakayama provides spiritual guidance and insight, helping Naomi and Stephen uncover the truths about their mother and their past. Together, these characters illustrate the diverse ways individuals cope with trauma, reconcile their identities, and navigate the complexities of cultural heritage.
Obasan: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Joy Kogawa
First published: 1981
Genre: Novel
Locale: British Columbia and Alberta, Canada; Nagasaki, Japan
Plot: Historical realism
Time: 1972, with flashbacks to the 1940's
Naomi Nakane, the protagonist and the narrator of the prose sections. At the age of thirty-six, she is an unmarried elementary teacher in Cecil, Alberta, and is bored with her dead-end life. She is a quiet, subservient, and evasive adult whose victim-oriented personality has been shaped by childhood abuse of both a sexual and a political nature.
Ayako, “Obasan” of the title, is a timid and victimized “everywoman” who endures abuse and believes that the best way to live is to hide unpleasantness and simply endure. The words “silence” and “stone” describe both her and her husband, in whose household Naomi and Stephen grow up.
Isamu, the husband of Ayako and uncle of Naomi. Scion of a shipbuilding and shipowning family, he is exiled from Vancouver inland to the prairie during the relocation, which hits him particularly hard. The “stone bread” he bakes symbolizes the hardships that Japanese Canadians endure. His funeral is the narrative frame for the story.
Emily Kato, Naomi's unmarried aunt who lives in Toronto. She is an angry and vocal political activist who spends the novel trying to convince Naomi to become more aggressive in defending her heritage and in making her abuses public. She has saved a box of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and political documents that tell an important part of the story.
Nesan (“Little Sister”), Naomi's mother. Naomi has good memories of her. Nesan and her mother (Naomi's Grandmother Kato) leave Naomi and Stephen, when the children are very young, to tend to Nesan's ailing grandmother in Japan and do not return to Canada. Their fate is a mystery that is resolved gradually during the course of the story. Emily has written letters to Nesan in Japan, keeping copies for herself.
Mark Nakane, Naomi's father. An accomplished singer and musician, he contracts tuberculosis and does not survive the war. His gradual loss of voice foreshadows his inability to protect his family as well as predicting his own death. Against all odds, he strives to nurture Stephen's musical talent. He is shown as most happy when he is making music.
Stephen Nakane, Naomi's resentful older brother, who is so talented at the piano that he develops a national reputation as a Western classical musician and tours frequently around Europe. In essence, he has “sold out,” denouncing his Japanese heritage by criticizing both Obasan and Naomi for not talking “properly,” by preferring Western fast food to Japanese dishes, and by taking up for a time with a French divorcée. At the time of Uncle Isamu's funeral, he has been away from his family for eight years.
The Reverend Nakayama, a spiritual leader who moves with Naomi's family during their relocation experiences. His gentle leadership, and Christianity in general, is a strength and comfort to the family that cannot be overestimated. It is through his telling that Naomi and Stephen finally learn the truth about their mother.