Obasan

OBASAN - Opus "I want to break loose from the heavy identity…I am tired of living between deaths and funerals, weighted with decorum, unable to shout or sing or dance, unable to scream or swear, unable to laugh, unable to breathe out loud." (102). In Joy Kogawa's Obasan. Naomi, a young female of Japanese decent is forced to adapt and grow into the Canadian society. She is faced with great pressures because of the events …

…Mouse, a Bachelor of Advanced Activists and General Practitioner of Just Causes." (134). As Naomi, Stephen and Obasan are sent off to Alberta, Emily flees to the comfort of the big city where her cries will be heard. Stephen follows Emily more than anyone else in the family as he breaks free from the traditional ways, becoming a acclaimed piano player. Naomi however sticks to her label as a Japanese-Canadian, encompassing both Emily and Obasan's ways.