Kowaga's use of conflict in the development of theme and character change.
The purpose of this essay to explain the use of conflict, together with the purpose of that use, by Joy Kogawa in Obasan (1-300). The first objective is to show how conflict was used to express theme. The second objective is to show how conflict was used to develop significant change in characters.
There are many characters in Obasan. Some of these characters have active roles in the story. Other characters in Obasan, however, affect the story and the active characters via their overriding silence. The most important active characters are Naomi, Aya Obasan, Emily Obasan, Uncle (the husband of Aya Obasan), and Naomi's Grandmother. The most important silent characters are Naomi's mother and Naomi's father. Naomi and her family are Japanese-Canadians who lived in Vancouver, British Columbia prior to the start of the Second World War. They were relocated to a detention centre in Northern British Columbia for the duration of the War, and they were resettled in Alberta after the War.
There are several strands of conflict that run through Obasan. Three of these strands of conflict are more important than are the others. The first important conflict involves Naomi's relationship, both as a child and as an adult, with the broader Canadian population, which, in an ethic context, was predominantly of Anglo-Saxon heritage. The second important conflict existed between Naomi and her silent parents. Naomi was separated from her parents at the beginning of the War (mother) and early in the detention period (father). She was not able to understand why her parents did not contact her. The third important conflict was between Naomi and her aunt (Aya Obasan) and Uncle, with whom she lived as a child (during the detention period and later in Alberta. The nature of this conflict was the refusal of Aya Obasan and Uncle to divulge information to her t...