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
Back in 1972, Naomi’s exploration of Aunt Emily’s box of documents is interrupted when Mr. Barker knocks on the door with his young second wife. When Naomi opens the door, he comes inside without being asked and mispronounces “Nakane” when he greets Obasan. He offers his condolences to Obasan, while Mrs. Barker takes in the small house with obvious discomfort. Mr. Barker asks about Stephen; people in Granton always ask about Stephen’s musical career, but Naomi hasn’t seen her brother in years.
Though whiteness as a social and legal force has dominated the narrative, Mr. and Mrs. Barker are the first white characters to feature in an extended scene. Their intrusion into the home establishes that they don’t respect the same cultural mandates of politeness as the Nakanes, and the fact that Mr. Barker mispronounces the name “Nakane” despite knowing the family for years speaks to his casual disrespect of their Japanese heritage.
Themes
Mrs. Barker asks if Obasan will be able to manage on her own, and Mr. Barker repeats the question to Obasan loudly and in broken English. When she and Naomi assure the Barkers that she will be fine, Mr. Barker remarks, “You people are very clever.” He voices regret at what “we” Canadians did to “our Japanese,” and Naomi chafes at his way of speaking. He echoes countless other well-intentioned white Canadians she has met, all of whom regard Japanese Canadians as an exotic “other” entirely removed from themselves and the nation of Canada. Though Naomi is annoyed, Obasan remains silent and impassive as she pours Mr. Barker a cup of tea.
The Barkers embody the impact of microaggressions: commonplace, small-scale instances of racism that can seem harmless when compared to drastic forms of oppression but are in fact just as harmful. Their repeated microaggressions remind Naomi that white Canadians do not see her or her family as real Canadians, which is exactly the type of thinking that enabled the government to label Japanese Canadians “enemy aliens.” Obasan handles this rudeness with her typical silent stoicism and grace.
Themes
