In this module’s course materials, there are two topics that are related to Japanese immigrants in Canada. The first is from the required reading, The Kappa Child and is the history of Japanese Internment during WWII. I found in this part of the module to be especially worthwhile to not only consider the impact of racism and politics, but also explore the impact resulted from the difference in social values between Japan and Canada from a cultural and psychological perspective. This perspective may also be extended to the concept of intersectionality, “multiple systems of oppression and discrimination” that immigrants in Canada must deal with. The obstacles that are experienced by immigrants are not only resulted from the oppression during interaction with the Canadian society, but also come from within the family, whereas the various members of the family responded and adapted differently to the environment and thus caused a gap in communication and understanding.
The protagonist of the Kappa Child is a Japanese Canadian girl who moved to the West Coast and then to Albert as a child. The author Hiromi Goto herself, went through a very similar experience in her childhood and she has incorporated ideas and stories from her personal life into the novel. While The Kappa Child is not an autobiography, the novel offers just as powerful a narrative of an Asian settler family on the prairie. One of the main characters in Goto’s novel is the dogmatic and abusive father, who persists on growing Japanese rice on the arid land. While the child has moved to Canada in an age of three, she has not been influenced by the values and social norms of a Japanese society. Her father on the other hand, is perhaps deeply instilled by the Japanese values, one that emphasizes pride and integrity over work rather than self. In the novel, the author repeatedly expresses her resentment and ridicule towards her father’s ambition to grow rice and her respect for her father gradually turns into fear as the plot develops. In Minoru’s film Memory of Exile, the 9 year old Japanese boy who is born in Canada is forced to go back to Japan with his father. The dreadful description of his experience and difficulties his family encounters in Japan is not unlike Goto’s depiction of the prairie, both filled with melancholy , frustration and helplessness.
Reference: Hiromi Goto, Interviewed by Gavin J. Grant
I also found it very interesting to follow both the outer struggles the Japanese family had with their environment and the pressure to assimilate, and the internal issues they had, their own personal battle to become more Canadian, and their internal issues within their family. This also shows that within the same culture, each member may adapt and adjust in different ways.
Thanks for the nice comment, Tally!
I notice you draw light to the fact that although the Kappa Child is not a autobiography, yet it still offers a powerful narrative of an Asian family settling in the prairies. I totally agree with you, and might go even further to suggest the story of The Kappa Child carries more weight by staying away from the notion of being a real autobiography. In this way, the story remains more abstract and within the realm of imagination, which in turn allows the reader to explore a deeper connection to the story instead of attaching the ideas and characters to a real life event.
Hi Rex, thanks for leaving a comment. You raised a very interesting point!