Obasan Chapters 1-13: Hamburger Paragraph 2

“There is a silence that cannot speak. There is a silence that will not speak.” (Kogawa Prologue).  Silence is a foundation of the novel Obasan, shielding characters from their own emotions.The silence is both physical and emotional.  Naomi hides from her past by repressing the feelings and memories she has within herself. Her emotions appear to be opaque to both the reader and herself. Her silence originates from her childhood trauma, as well as encouragement from relatives to remain quiet. She struggles to accept the events which shaped and destroyed her life. Naomi seems torn between her interest in the past and her idea that remembering the past will harm her. She slowly comes to terms with the past, gradually revealing what happened.

Obasan Chapters 1-13: Hamburger Paragraph 1

Aunt Emily is the lively spark that turns the small flame into a burning fire. She is the voice, while the others are the silence, insisting that “We have to deal with all this while we remember it. If we don’t we’ll pass our anger down in our genes. It’s the children who’ll suffer,” (Kogawa 38) She is completely at ease discussing and remembering the past, always protesting the cruelty of the treatment they endured. She can be blunt at times, sometimes having a difficult time realizing the challenge it is for her family to recall the past. However, it is clear she loves her family and is constantly trying to get them to stand up for themselves.

Obasan Chapters 1-13: Character Sketch

Character Sketch: Aunt Emily

Opinions, Actions and Motives
- Energetic
- Strong-willed
- Comfortable voicing opinion → “Talking to Aunt Emily was quite like a minefield, I never knew when she would explode” (Kogawa 36)
- "Wherever the words "Japanese race" appeared, Aunt Emily had crossed them out and written "Canadian citizen"." (Kogawa 34)
- Wants to accept and understand past → contrast to Naomi and Obasan
- “She’s one of the world’s white blood cells, rushing from trouble spot to trouble spot” (Kogawa 35)
- “For her, injustice done to us in the past was still a live issue” (Kogawa 35)