Silence Family Essay Example for Free

Silence Family actSilence are the words that are not said, rather tbiddy the words that are chosen. It is the aid of the truth as well as hiding from it. In the novel Obasan by Joy Kogawa, belt up is a part of a culture and is a larger part of a family. The character Naomi allows lull to over come her demeanor, which allows her to remain tortured inside the internment camp of her own body. Although the family is living in another country, the traditions to Japan are still very strong. In the U. S. hush is generally looked upon as still while Japan it traditionally signals pensiveness, alertness, and sensitivity. Growing up with Obasan and her Uncle, Naomi was raised and taught to respect silence. Naomi remains extremely hush up more or less her childhood under the guidance of her aunt. A major truth she hides is her molestation. She was taught not to lash hazard at adults and to do what they say. At this moment, she learned dis-trust. The incidents with him happened mor e than once, yet she remained silent.This, for Naomi, drew her apart from her mother, leaving something betwixt them that could not be discussed or mentioned. Before this event, they had sort of a silent communication, and right away she misses that. This is similar to the hen and chick incident where the mother hen pecks at the baby chicks. She now can see a tare between mother and daughter she couldnt see before. They are the eyes that protect, shielding whats hidden most deeply in the heart of a child(p. 59).There was no agelong this link between her and her mother afterward the shame of her losing innocence. Naomi remains silent for so long that, silence within her small body has grown large and powerful, (p. 14) just as it did for Obasan. She lives her life miserable after all she has been through but must remain silent about. Unlike Aunt Emily, Obasan believes that talk about and confronting the fact that the Canadians interned the Japanese will not bring about justice bu t only sadness, an sensation she does not express because the language of er grief is silence. She has learned it well, its idioms, and its nuances. (p. 14) Being raised by Obasan created the life Naomi has now. She lives in a world where she has no love in her life, or anyone to be honest with. still for Naomi the silence could not continue when she seeks for the truth about her mother which she had all along. Naomi learns about her mothers tragedy through the letters between Grandma and Grandpa Kato she received from Emily.She has known that her mothers grave had been found but Naomi never knew that her mother was badly hurt in the bombings of Nagasaki when she was helping her full cousin Setsuko with her new baby Chieko, who looked just like Emily. After the bombing Naomis mother and the baby were some(prenominal) in the hospital. Naomis mother was badly injured and the baby had leukemia. Since the baby looked like Naomi there was a connection to her and for the first time th e communication between Naomi and her mother are open again.This allows Naomi to begin speaking to her, even though she was not there. But after reading those letters Naomi broke the silence because now she knows the truth and she can finally communicate. In Obasan, Naomi is tortured by the silence of the truth. She is unable to speak of what is unfeigned and can not get out what is real due to the absence of her mother and having to be come up by her Obasan. After she does learn the truth, she does not feel tortured any more because she can find the comfort of communication with her mother, a connection she has missed for years.