Before we begin, let's recap what motifs are.
Motifs: A repeating feature or idea found throughout a piece of literature, that deepens or signifies a meaning or situation.
Theme
Before discussing motifs, we should understand what the theme of the story is in order to relate the motif to the theme. "Obasan" features many different conflicts and ideas. Some affected the whole population of the Japanese, some involved the Nakane family only, and some affected individuals, like Ayako and Naomi. But ultimately there is a bigger idea that is common between all issues; the advantages of silence. When the Canadian government stripped the Japanese of their belongings, the Japanese had no power to fight against the Canadian forces, therefore it was better for them to stay silent, especially after seeing what the Canadian government did to those who were resisting. Naomi's mother's insistence on respectful silence may make Naomi a praiseworthy child in the traditional Japanese sense, but it exaggerates Naomi's inherent reserve to dangerous levels. Obasan presents the nuanced position that remaining silent has actual advantages. Obasan's silence shields her from the rest of the world. She talks little and hears even less as she grows older. She is not subjected to racist or foolish remarks since she lives in silence. She likewise grieves her husband's death by being silent. Locked Rough Bill, the novel's most respectable white character, claims that conversation is frequently self-centered. He compares city dwellers' egocentric babble to the chirping of birds who can only express their own names. He condemns his own chattiness while applauding Naomi's stillness. Rough Lock Bill's statements have added weight because, aside from Naomi's family, he is one of the few people in her life who she can trust.
The Color Red
Most writing pieces feature motifs because of their ability to further define a meaning or draw a scene or situation without the use of words. In "Obasan", the use of motifs is quite evident as Naomi, the main character, is referring back to her traumatizing memories and experiences, therefore motifs were being used to further illustrate the different scenarios. The motif that I will be sharing with you that was quite evident in "Obasan" was the use of color. She frequently picks the color red and its many tones. These colors are occasionally used to evoke sentiments or to aid in the evocation of sensations. Red can be used to refer to a variety of red items, or it can be used to represent a sign that has both a standalone and a bigger, more dramatic meaning. Naomi's life is a personal and cultural journey in which color, particularly red, is employed to depict various sensations and states, as well as predict events and offer cultural representations of the Issei, Nisei, and Sansei. For example: In chapter 11, Naomi discusses her experiences with Old Man Gower, particularly the time when he places her on his lap and urges her not to tell her mother what he is doing.
“I am clinging to my mother’s leg, [...] a young branch attached by right of flesh and blood.” (Kogawa 77)
Naomi's clutch to her mother symbolizes her helplessness and fragility at this time in her life. Because Naomi's fragility is so clear, Old Man Gower gets the chance to physically attack her. Because of pride and honor, comparing a young branch to Naomi and her youth, as well as the "right of flesh and blood," shows that abandoning self-defense and leaving oneself defenseless is prevalent in her society. Similarly, Naomi enables Old Man Gower to use her because she feels that fighting his acts will not only harm her and her family's honor, but will also go against what she considers to be culturally acceptable. The color red is utilized to represent her culture's heritage and how these traits are ingrained in her DNA. The color red also relates to the theme in this scenario. Old man Gower threatened Naomi if she told anyone anything about what he was doing to her. Old Man Gower also manipulated her to forget about all the things he did to her which also reflects on the characteristics of the color red; silence and danger.
In Chapter 15, Kogawa is writing about Naomi’s train ride and leaving the British
Columbia coast for Slocan. While on the train, a young woman is sitting in front of them with her newborn child. “A few seats in front, one young woman is sitting with her narrow shoulders hunched over a tiny redfaced baby.”(Kogawa 133) The words "young" and "narrow" all allude to this woman's frailty and vulnerability on the train. The use of red to describe the baby's face could be interpreted in a variety of ways. The colour red could represent this child's sadness and distress. The child is powerless to do anything. Furthermore, the colour red is frequently used to describe the actions and pain that many Japanese Canadians have experienced.
The red on this baby's face could represent the cultural undertakings into which he or she is born.
All in all...
All in all, Joy Kogawa incorporated multiple motifs expressing the different scenarios and situations in "Obasan", but the most evident motif employed was colour, specifically the colour red. This is because red expressed anger, confusion, and tension in the apprehended situations and scenarios throughout the novel, and especially when Kogawa conveyed the circumstances of the Japanese population in Canada in the times of hardship. Red also related to the
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