Obasan Prejudice Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Dan has a lawyer working for him and his parents about their desire to stay together, especially since Dan's father is blind and his mother speaks no English at all. The lawyer went to the Security Commission's lawyers and reported back that he was told to let the matter drift because they were going to make sure the Japs suffered as much as possible. (14.88)

The Security Commission's lawyers say that they want to make Japanese people suffer as much as possible. This scene foreshadows the young boy killing a chicken in Granton. He also says that the chicken has to suffer.

Quote #5

Ye gods! The newspapers are saying that there are actually Japanese naval officers living on the coast. It must be a mistake. [...] Maybe the articles are true. I wonder if there's a cover-up. (14.92)

Wow. The propaganda is so good that it's even got Aunt Emily.

Quote #6

Obviously white Canadians feel more loyalty toward white foreigners than they do toward us Canadians. (14.94)

We like to think about it as a totem pole of prejudice. Unfortunately for Naomi and the Japanese Canadians, racism is always higher on the totem pole than xenophobia.