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The Pacific War Reflected in the Japanese American Literature

Ahn,Im-Soo 1

1관동대학교

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ABSTRACT

The term Japanese American literature generally refers to those literary works written by Japanese Americans born in the States under Japanese parents or at least under a Japanese father. As the Japanese immigration to the States began in the beginning of the 20th century and mostly to Hawaii as the Hawaiian plantation owners drafted poor Japanese farmers in the south western area of Japan after the Meiji Yushin(Modernization of Japan). Most of the Asian American literature deal with the hardships and sufferings of the 1st-generation Asian Americans in the process of their settling in the States. But what is special with Japanese American literature must be that they unanimously reveal Japanese Americans' internment and relocation after the Pearl Harbor Attack. Japan's stealthy attack arose hostility in the American public toward Japanese Americans in general. After the Attack, Americans believed that Japanese Americans would betray America and sure to be loyal to Japan. The Pacific War totally affected and changed lives of the Japanese Americans during the internment and relocation. These changes were faithfully described in the Japanese American literature. 1). In All I Asking is My Body After the Pearl Harbor Attack, Toshio, was shocked to know that Japan had secretly raided Pearl Harbor on a Sunday morning without warning. He had been educated that Japanese are special and never does shameful things. As his belief is betrayed, he decided to abandon Japanese citizenship against his father's advice. And after the attack, he takes place of his father's position in the family for the sake of his family. 2). In No-No Boy In the internment camp he was required to answer 2 questions on patriotism. His answer were 2 'No's not because of his patriotism to Japan but because of his weak confidence in his American identity. He had been strongly influenced by his pro-Japanese mother and thought his 'Yes' would betray his mother. As Ichiro had been discharged from a prison(relocation camp), he came home, in Seatle to find his friends and neighbors despise him as a failure of approving himself as an American. 3) In Nisei Daughter The tensions caused to Itoi family as an aftermath. Kazuko was released to the Midwest in 1943 for college education. After Kazuko, visited her family in the internment camp, she was found to have overcome her identity conflict and also found to be a good example for accomplishing successful assimilation into mainstream American society. 4) In Obasan In Obasan, Naomi's family is fragmented and dispersed after the Pearl Harbor Attack. Her father was sent to interior British Columbia to road gangs and died from tuberculosis. Her mother who went to visit Japan, unable to return back to Canada, was disfigured by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and died from her wounds. Obasan shows how Japanese Americans suffered from a forced internment through Naomi. This story ends with Naomi's return to the coulee implying her healing but it would be evident she could never be able to recover from her wounds. Consequently, the Pacific War ignited by Japan's long-prepared attack to the Pearl Harbor, is portrayed, very suspectful and discouraging in detail, Japanese American writings as a shameful history for Japan. Pacific War desolidates Japanese integrity and thus ironically foster assimilation into American society. Japanese Americans were victims of racial prejudice and had to suffer a lot only because he or she was second-generation Japanese. But it must be clear that all the sufferings the second-generation Japanese had undergone had been the aftermath of the 'Pacific War' and had accelerated their assimilation into the mainstream of American society. What is absurd must be that no Japanese accused their government of their suffering. Instead the Japanese Americans had pressed American government to admit their fault and thereby got compensation of 20000 dollars for their mistakes they had committed during the World War II

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