I found Amy’s blog particularly interesting because I too have noticed this trend in the graphic narratives and novels we have read throughout the term. It is scary to think that to some people violence and constant trauma has become a daily routine. I think that this interpretation of graphic narrative style originating from Hilary Chute’s article “The Texture of Retracing in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis” can also be applied to Obasan by Joy Kogawa. Through her descriptions of Naomi and her family’s (especially Obasan) reaction to their displacement and hardships were normalized. Besides Aunt Emily and Stephen, the characters didn’t complain about the difficulties they faced, but rather described them. This makes them seem normal, as if everyone, regardless of their race, experienced the same misery. It is interesting to see how this “horrifying normalcy” can be applied to not only graphic novels and their styles, but also novels and personal life.

-Olivia Richardson