Silencing a Nation: Naomi's Troubled Development in Joy Kogawa's: "Obasan"

"Some memories, too, might better be forgotten...What past recall is past pain."(Kogawa 45). In Joy Kogawa's "Obasan" the silence of the mistreatment Naomi faces, as well as her family's health, and sudden abandonment by her Mother saved Naomi from being hurt as a child but led to a destructive development that, in the long run, had a negative impact on her adulthood. Naomi's Aunt Obasan fails to involve her in the racism they face …

…affected negatively in her adulthood. Silencing important issues in Naomi's childhood prevents her from experiencing the hurt and pain that Obasan and her Mother felt but because of this, Naomi could not understand and preserve her past. As she grew, Naomi carried the guilt she felt as a child which proves to have had a negative impact on her development. By not experiencing the true pain in her past, Naomi suffers more as an adult.