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
Over the next few weeks, the residents of Slocan begin to depart. Father disappears, and Naomi doesn’t understand why or where he has gone. When it is time for the Nakanes to move, they leave by train, just like they came to Slocan. As she moves through the crowded train station, Naomi is full of unanswered questions. She doesn’t know where her family is going, and she wonders if she will ever return home.
Once again, the Nakanes are forced out of their home. Naomi’s reflection that they are once again leaving on a train highlights the cyclical nature of oppression and the fact that governmental anti-Japanese racism is continuing without change despite the end of the war. Naomi also continues to suffer in silence, as her family’s continued refusal to explain their circumstances to her leaves her constantly confused.
Themes
