Oh, where to begin, where to begin. "Obasan" is all about violating rules baby! Jokes aside though, "Obasan" is a novel that targets these serious rule violations.
Starting off smaller than usual, Kogawa writes about how Sigmund, a student in Naomi's class, interrupts class to ask a teacher whether she has ever fallen in love. A young stranger has no right to ask a superior about their personal life. That's a right violation that isn't a serious offence, but it still reflects on all the rules that were transgressed throughout the novel. But Kogawa didn't include this element for just the sake of adding words and pages, because this narration took up almost half a chapter. Kogawa included this section because it describes Naomi's love life, and how it was affected by Old Man Gower's despicable actions. Naomi's love life was affected heavily because of how Old Man Gower convinced her with his actions that men are not to be trusted.
The rest of the offences are a lot more serious than a curious boy. As mentioned briefly, Old Man Gower harassed Naomi since she was 4 years-old, changing her point of view on men and her love life in general. The Japanese were also stripped from their right of their homes and businesses, and how they were forced into concentration camps. Naomi was also deprived of her mother. Even Naomi's mother was deprived of a safe environment when the bombing in Nagasaki occurred and she was blinded and maimed. All these rule violations reflect how Naomi is shaped as an adult. Naomi is introverted, and dislikes talking about her past. Naomi also can't find a partner because of the unspeakable things that were done to her as an enfant. Naomi has trust issues because of all the lies she was told and betrayals. By the end of the book, a reader would feel as if Naomi was an emotionless robot.
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