Obasan is a traditional Japanese woman who lives in a shell that hides her feelings and thoughts. She ignores the prejudice trials and tribulations of the war and retains her quietness. Her house is cluttered with antique furniture and old memories.

The house is indeed old, as she is also old. Every homemade piece of furniture, each pot holder and paper doily is a link in her lifeline. She has preserved in shelves, in cupboards, under beds – a box of marbles, half-filled colouring books, a red, white and blue rubber ball. The items are endless. Every

Inwardly, she survives her history and memories, and denies saying them aloud. On her outward appearance, “everything is forgetfulness”. Her steadfast silence is for the sake of the children (Kodomo no tame). She uses her silence to protect Naomi and Stephen away from the horrible truth. Obasan refuses to tell the truth behind their mother and the illness of their father. Naomi says that “the language of her (Obasan's) grief is silence. She has learned it well, its idioms, and its nuances. Over the years, silence within her small body has grown large and powerful.” (Kogawa 14) Naomi never gets access to Obasan's minds and thoughts. Much of her speech is evasive, evading the questions. In fact, Naomi realizes Obasan’s evasion is a protective silence. “The memories were drowned in a whirlpool of protective silence. Everywhere I could hear the adults whispering, ‘Kodomo no tame. For the sake of the children…’ Calmness was maintained.” (Kogawa 22) Under Obasan’s guidance, Naomi is extremely quiet in her childhood. Naomi keeps Mr. Gower's sexual abuse a secret. She defends herself in a quiet life and a non-communicate silence. In contrast, Stephen has a dissimilar kind of silence inside. His silence is full of repressed memories and unexpressed anger. Because of the discrimination he has faced from the surroundings, he denies his Japanese heritage. He makes himself unfamiliar with the Japanese language and distances himself with Obasan. He is filled with anger and violence. “If he has changed at all, perhaps he is less surly – less easily angered. But he still seems irritable and is almost completely non-communicative with Obasan.” (Kogawa 236) He tries to move away from his family and detaches himself of all Japanese ties. “He has just come in the door, and he already looks as if he would like to run out.” (Kogawa 253) Stephen does not like to talk. Beside speakin

Some topics in this essay:
Aunt Emily, Aunt Emily’s, Naomi Stephen, Obasan” Kogawa, Naomi Gower's, Emily Canadian, Cecil Granton, Emily Naomi, Canadian” Kogawa, Canadian Obasan’s, aunt emily, aunt emily’s, protective silence, silence speech, wound knee, japanese culture, traditional japanese, child forever, trouble spot, kogawa 45,