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Chapter 19
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Obasan, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race, Identity, and Citizenship
History and Memory
Speech vs. Silence
Selflessness and Decorum
Summary
Analysis
Through the winter and early spring of 1943, Naomi and Stephen have no school to attend. Some children attend classes taught in Japanese, but Obasan and Uncle worry that the mounted police officers will interpret this as an act of disloyalty against Canada. Naomi and Stephen enjoy their “holiday” from school, exploring the wilderness and harvesting edible plants. Finally, in May, they gain access to a school in Slocan. All the students and faculty are Japanese, as white students attend a different school.
The lack of a school for Japanese students speaks to the Canadian government’s disregard for its Japanese citizens. Despite Obasan and Uncle’s loyalty to Canada, they recognize their precarious position and try to protect the children from potential danger.
Themes
Naomi befriends two of her classmates, Kenji and Miyuki. She continues to traverse the landscape with them, and one day Kenji sees a bird that he identifies as “the King bird.” He explains that according to Rough Lock Bill, a curmudgeonly local hermit, the King bird cuts the tongues of liars so they can’t speak. The King bird did this to all the other birds, Kenji says, which is why they only tweet instead of speaking.
The story of the King bird provides an alternate cultural perspective on silence. In Naomi’s Japanese culture, silence is both a duty and a tool, while in Rough Lock Bill’s First Nations culture, silence is a punishment. In the King bird story, speechlessness is inflicted upon the birds as a form of violence, which mirrors the way Aunt Emily and her mode of activism interpret the silencing of oppressed communities.
Themes
