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
In 1942, Naomi, Stephen, and Obasan take the train to Slocan, joining other Japanese Canadians who have been rendered “despised” and “voiceless” as they lost every means of communication. Naomi sees Japanese Canadians, as a group, as an “undemanding” sacrifice scapegoated for the sake of the white Canadian majority. The passengers address each other like family, united in the loss of their homes. Obasan and an old woman each give up one of their own belongings to give to a mother on board with her baby.
Both the positive and negative consequences of the Japanese cultural value of selflessness are on display in this scene. Obasan and the old woman on the train each give up one of the few possessions they have left for the sake of a stranger, an act of kindness that demonstrates how generosity and selflessness can build community. However, these qualities also endanger the Japanese Canadian community, as they render Japanese Canadians hesitant to advocate for themselves in the face of institutional oppression.
Themes
Stephen rejects Obasan’s attempt to give him a rice ball, saying he doesn’t want “that kind of food.” Naomi compares him to Humpty Dumpty, as he is immobile and hurt due to being half inside his shell and half out of it. To make him feel better, Naomi gives Stephen one of her toys. She clings to a doll that Mother gave her before she left.
Stephen blames the racism he has faced on his Japanese heritage instead of on the prejudice of white Canadians. As such, he develops a resentment for all aspects of that heritage, even though––as Naomi notices––this hurts him and fractures his sense of identity. Naomi follows Obasan’s example and gives up one of her belongings to try to help her brother.
Themes
