Book Review
Introduction
Farewell to Manzanar is a frank, and sometimes, heartbreaking story that many people living in the United States are not aware of. The events described in the book occurred during the World War II when American Japanese were sent to the internment camp after bombing Pearl Harbor. The author brought up several themes including economic and legal injustice done to peaceful Japanese Americans, survival requirements in the internment camps, contradictions inside families based on generational differences, and difficulties experienced by Japanese Americans when they aimed to rebuild their lives after being imprisoned in the camps.
- Brief Summary
Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne and Houston, James D. Farewell to Manzanar. 1st ed. Grand New York: Ember, 2006.
The narrative began in the peaceful winter morning of 1941 when sardine fleet of Ko Wakatsuki, father of Jeanne, left San Pedro Harbor. Jeanne said farewell to him, but soon Papa returned back bringing unwelcome news: Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. According to the Excecutive Order 9066, all Japanese dwellers were sent to the Manzanar Relocation Center in the desert as potential threat to Americans.
Living conditions and food in the camp were poor and the Wakatsukis started to disintegrate.
Jeanne began to take interest in other people and to study religious questions. However, her Papa forced her to stop since she imagined herself as a saint when she experienced sunstroke. Soon, her father was arrested and stayed in a detention camp. He returned after one year, but he was a different person because he experienced a depression after being imprisoned at Fort Lincoln for one year.
Bad living conditions, badly-prepared food, dust, and unfinished barracks caused frustration of men living in the camp that resulted in December Riot. The event ended with bloodshed, killing and wounding Japanese when police attempted to stop the riot. The government of the United States aimed to distinguish loyal Japanese from enemies. Japanese found themselves in an ambiguous situation when answering “yes” to the loyalty questions means being drafted and answering “no” resulted in deportation. Despite Papa and one of Jeanne’s brothers answered “yes”, she heard Papa signing national anthem of Japan at night.
After a while, the family got used to the life in the camp: they found nicer barrack to live, Papa took interest in gardening, Bill, oldest brother of Jeanne, formed a dance band, and Wakatsukis were even able travel outside the camp. Jeanne tried both American and Japanese hobbies, proceeded with her religious studies and was about to be baptized when her father stopped her. She started to distance herself from her father.
After some time the internment policy was recognized illegal and the family came back to Long Beach. The war between the United States and Japan came to an end after bombing of Hiroshima: “Nine days later, all over America people were dancing in the streets. At Manzanar I suppose there was some rejoicing too. At least we were no longer the enemy.” (Wakatsuki Houston and Houston 127). People from both nations were happy that the war was finished. Wakatsukis were able to start normal life, but prejudice took new hidden form: when Jeanne entered the sixth grade, a girl from her class was amazed Jeanne spoke English good despite Jeanne was born in the United States. “The stories, the murmurs, the headlines of the last few months had imprinted in my mind the word HATE.” (Wakatsuki Houston and Houston 136). After war, attention of media was still focused on Japanese expressing dislike and discrimination. Unspoken prejudice was felt everywhere keeping away Jeanne from the social success. However, Jeanne was nominated to be queen of the annual spring carnival at school making her father furious because she used her sexuality to win. The teachers tried to prevent her from winning, but her friend helped her win. She wore sarong for the election assembly, but decided to compromise and wore a conservative dress to the ceremony of coronation, but suddenly realized that neither conservative dress nor her exotic sarong reflected her true self.
In 1972, Jeanne visited Manzanar with her husband and children to make sure that the camp actually existed and it was not a fragment of her dream as with years passed she started to think that she imagined everything. She realized that her life began there, but her father’s life ended there. Then she was able to understand his stubborn pride at last.
Watching her daughter playing amongst the rumble and terrain of former Camp Manzanar, Jeanne realized that bygone events made a significant impact on her life and shaped her personality: “It was so simple, watching her, to see why everything that had happened to me since we left camp referred back to it, in one way or another” (Wakatsuki Houston and Houston 176).
- Critical Analysis of the Book
- How did the Wakatsukis cope with their internment and how ultimately did the experience affect the nature of their family?
Ko Wakatsuki did not cope well with isolation, he started to drink alcohol and to abuse his family. Later, Jeanne stated: “He didn’t die there, but things finished for him there, whereas for me it was like a birthplace.” (Wakatsuki Houston and Houston 43). It means that being a child she was able to accept the events on the contrary to her father who silently opposed.
His wife, Jeanne’s mother, who was not so vocal, expressed her attitude to isolation by angry shine of her eyes. Jeanne’s Mama was frustrated when she saw the conditions they were supposed to live: “Her eyes blazed then, her voice quietly furious. “Woody, we can’t live like this. Animals live like this.” (Wakatsuki Houston and Houston 24).
The nature of their family had significantly changed: the family began to disintegrate, parents failed to get along with each other, Jeanne felt alienated from her father despite he was an authority for her. Jeanne’s father answered “yes” to loyalty questions to prevent his family from deportation that contradicted with his samurai’s nature: to be strait and speak the truth. Jeanne got to know he did not submit when she heard he was signing Japanese national anthem at night.
- Do the internees resist their incarceration, and if so, in what manner? Explain the evolutions of Jeanne’s identity during and after internment.
Internees resisted their incarceration, especially male inhabitants of the Manzanar camp. The frustration of men in the camp resulted in December Riot that was broken out when three men were arrested for beating another man who was suspected of helping the United States government. The rioters were searching for “inu”, a “betrayer”, and the military police tried to stop the riot. In the chaos two Japanese were killed and some of them were wounded.
Jeanne was not so stubborn and proud as her father. She was born in the United States that influenced her identity. Actually, she stuck in the middle because she had Japanese roots she was not willing to refuse from, on the one hand, and she realized that environment she was living made an impact on her personality as well, on the other hand. It can be traced when she started to take interest in Catholic religion. The author described her ambiguous feelings related her identity during spring carnival when she felt that no attire fitted her perfectly.
Conclusion
The United States is the state where a great number of nations are mixed. It was interesting to learn the history of the great nation. As a rule, a formation of any nation occurs through painful experiences and the story of Jeanne Wakatsuki is proof of that. Many representatives of different nations experienced this “merging” forming new American society. Their ability to fight for their rights and to advance their interests made the United States the most lawful state. I think that this is the price that should be paid for freedom and independence. However, the problems of inequality and prejudice still arise despite of many achievements in human rights movement. Learning the history of the United States can help people remember their mistakes and try to avoid them in future. The lessons took from the history can prevent new mistakes to be made.
References
Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne and Houston, James D. Farewell to Manzanar. 1st ed. Grand New York: Ember, 2006.
