Obasan (Canada's Dark Past with the Japanese)

Obasan is a story that tells of the tragic life that Japanese-Canadians had to endure during World War II. Prejudice and racism were universal beliefs at the time, and unfortunately, Canada was no exception.

The book recalls the childhood of a young Naomi Nakane. Born and raised in Canada, Naomi is only 5-years-old in 1941, when she begins to notice a subtle difference in everything, and everyone.

Naomi's mother must return to Japan in order to care for her ailing great-grandmother. Japanese children are tormented and ostracized at school. Japanese-Canadian citizens are inexplicably forced out of their homes -- their provinces. Some are even sent to concentration camps in the country.

The Japanese are torn apart left and right due to the Canadian government's restrictions. Citizens are no longer permitted to work, or provide for themselves. Naomi's father falls ill, and eventually they are separated as well; Naomi and her brother are cared for by their aunt and uncle. Naomi must eventually come to the conclusion on her own that her father passed away.

As for Naomi's mother, not a word had been said since she left for Japan, and the poor child was left to wonder if her mother had abandoned her. It is not until Naomi is an adult that her aunt finally reveals the truth to her.

Her mother had been within the blast of the Pearl Harbor bombing, and had suffered terrible injuries as a result. Although her great-grandmother reports in her letters that Naomi's mother was making a recovery at the hospital, Naomi is left to believe that her mother must have succumb to her injuries. This is the only explanation she has for why her mother has not reached her...

Yes, many races inadvertently suffered as a result of world prejudices -- but what is perhaps the most ironic part of this moral, is the victims would be just as likely to commit the same atrocities.

There is a scene in the novel where Naomi and her brother are relishing their freedom in the great outdoors. They are standing in a field when they are suddenly surrounded by beautiful yellow and brown butterflies...

"I stare back as Stephen tramples and slashes, hopping deeper and deeper into the tall grasses, swinging his crutch like a scythe. Within moments, the ground and grasses are quivering with maimed and dismembered butterflies.

"'They're bad,' Stephen says as he wades through the weeds. 'They eat holes in your clothes.'"

This isn't true; some caterpillars and moths will eat through clothes, but not butterflies. Yet, due to a prejudice, tens of butterflies are dead because of a lie.

Why history is doomed to repeat itself. We believe that "education is key," yet nowadays, rather than bothering with the infinite knowledge available at our disposal, we would STILL choose to believe our own reality -- our own lies -- instead. Rather than seek the truth for ourselves, we would still prefer to have it told to us.

Thank you for taking the time to check out today's post 🙏 I hope that everyone will enjoy the rest of the week. In the meantime, happy reading 📚