Silence In Joy Kogawa's Obasan Essay

“Silence implicates a far richer vastness than what words can express” (Tai 209). In Joy Kogawa’s Obasan, characters use silence to communicate and convey feelings that words alone could not; Naomi reveals her isolation through her silence, Naomi silently perseveres through the hardship showing her strength, Obasan expresses the grief she experiences through silence, and the adults of the community protect the children through their silence. From Naomi’s years of teaching, “it’s the children who say nothing who are in trouble more than the ones who complain” (36). Naomi unveils her detachment to the people around her through the silence she displays while around them; unable to express her feelings, Naomi stays mostly speechless in her life. …show more content…
Naomi shows her strength through her silent perseverance of the death of those around her. In particular, Naomi’s father goes through a tough time and Naomi does not know about the circumstances surrounding it. Firstly, her father gets tuberculosis and Naomi does not about his condition or where he is. For example, Nomura-obasan asks Uncle Isamu how his brother Tadashi-san, Naomi’s father is doing. Uncle nods briefly and only says “thank you for your concern” (216) leaving the actual condition of Naomi’s father, who has been ill with tuberculosis for a while, out of mention. She asks “Where is Father? When will he come?” (146) only for Stephen to “scornfully” (146) scold her. Even though she does not know where or how her father is doing, Naomi stays quiet and strong. Secondly, Naomi’s father returns home only to be separated from the rest of the family again. He “suddenly” (197) disappears again. Twenty-seven years later, she finds the letters explaining the disappearance, “[Tadashi Nakane] will be required to remain in New Denver” (190). After a while, Naomi sees her father only to have him leave her again. Naomi is silent about this matter, silently persevering through another incident, never mentioning him until... Lastly, her father dies away from the family. He dies “following an extensive operation at New Denver Hospital” (231). Naomi “[feels] a strange shock as if [she is] telling a monstrous

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Silence In Joy Kogawa's Obasan