Conflict In Obasan

In Obasan, by Joy Kogawa, the main character Naomi is tied down by her past, until she learns to use her past as an advantage for her future. As revealed in the novel, she transitions from living in hopeless silence, to later discovering the truth to her questions and using her silence as an empowerment. Naomi’s search for answers to her uncertainties motivates her to keep pushing forward, consequently, a climax occurs in her character development.
The novel begins with the main character--not yet revealed with a specific identity-- sharing with the audience a yearly trip to the coulee with her uncle. She does not understand the significance of the visits there, neither does the audience, but that is for later discovery. She states “nothing changes,”(Kogawa 1)--according to her-- but to her uncle everything has. Naomi is introduced to the audience in no rush. She introduces herself until chapter two, quite simplistically and with a touch of humor: “...Naomi… personality: tense… perpetual tense… I have the social graces of a common house fly..” (9). For a first impression, it is …show more content…
The image of “silence attend[ing] the long sun dance” (290) sums up beauty within standing still. Sure, Naomi hides in the shadows of depressing muteness, but she soon finds beauty in the stillness of it. Naomi admits that as a kid she would've not understood that there could be presence without flesh, but having matured, she knows love keeps the spirits of her mother and uncle in her heart. She also admits that “wordlessness” is the “mutual destruction” (291) for her and her mother, meaning that silence can either be a weakness or a virtue. But because of life circumstances, and her blooming into adulthood, she is taught that a new name can be written on the new