Perseverance – The Story of Joy Kogawa

In the last few weeks of the term, our ASTU class has been reading and analyzing the novel Obasan, by author Joy Kogawa. This novel, based on real life experiences, tells the tale of the internment and prosecution of Japanese-Canadians during the WW2 period. For me, Joy Kogawa exposed the apparent gaps within our knowledge of Canadian history, which was revealed when classmates expressed their lack of knowledge on the subject. The history of Japanese internment is something that all individuals, especially Canadians, should be taught and exposed to. Being a student born and raised in the Canadian education system, it shocked me that we spent so little time on such a vast and important subject. However, this knowledge was expanded and enriched upon this year when we began working with Kogawa’s novel.

Recently, our ASTU class had the opportunity to visit the Rare Books and Special Collections section, located in the Irving K. Barber building at UBC. During this trip, we were able to look at Kogawa’s first hand documents during her process of writing Obasan. Prior to looking at these documents, I got the sense that I mostly focused on the individuality of the characters, and what messages and motifs they exemplified. However, after attending this trip, I began to change my perception of why and how the book was written. The impacts of Obasan go beyond the surface, and this was exposed during the visit. Portions of Kogawa’s works were divided by categories among the various tables in the room. The table that I was sitting at happened to have rejection letters, written by several publication houses. Seeing so many numerous and detailed rejection letters – who were in fact quite cutthroat – expressed the perseverance and dedication that Kogawa must have had. The fact that she had to fight so hard to publish a book about her personal stories was quite shocking.

Thinking back to the time that the novel was published, it was apparent that the history of Japanese internment was an unspoken and unpopular topic. Kogawa’s fight to publish and bring attention to this novel expresses her advocacy for the topic. Throughout the novel, we see Aunt Emily as mostly the open advocate for the subject, however, after vising the archives my view began to change. I was able to see Kogawa in a different light, and having a bigger voice then originally depicted. Kogawa started to become more concrete, as an individual who had experienced the very horrors depicted in the novel. We are often caught up in the characters and the experiences that they are living, and we forget that there is an author behind these scenarios. Through the form of a novel, Kogawa is addressing this topic to the best of her ability and is in result connecting with hundreds of individuals. When we discussed whether Kogawa wrote the book with the intention of being an advocate or not, I found my opinions beginning to change after the visit. She is expressing that one does not need to be constantly vocal and adamant to make a change and impact people, such as Aunt Emily. However, staying silent and supressing these memories is not an option either. Through writing her novel, Kogawa finds a common ground that she is comfortable and passionate about.

The true impacts of Kogawa’s novel were exemplified in the archives, as several individuals wrote to her expressing their emotions – for example a young girl named Renada who used the novel during her school project. The fact that so many rejected this novel, and ignored the impact it would create, is astonishing. However, if we think back to the era that she was writing in, I can understand why these publication houses would reject her novel – of course for economic reasons. But an underlying theme here is the fact that so many individuals have been impacted by her words. Perhaps the means of a publication house should not be to increase economic funds, but to give a voice to those wanting to share their experiences with others.

In fact, sharing the truth behind this event is essential in the “cultural memory” of Japanese-Canadians. As expressed in her novel, from this event, Japanese-Canadians felt as if they were not acknowledged of valued as Canadians, and even the opposition to this novel is proof of this, “…but, to be perfectly honest with you, Joy, I really don’t think that this is a viable undertaking for a large commercial house like McClelland and Stewart at this time”. One of them even critiqued her novel, and the purposes behind it saying, “… but it seems to me that you’re using the book more as a vehicle to describe that period of history than to tell a story” – Oberon Press. But how can she tell a story without describing it?

I believe Kogawa was one of the most impactful advocates, as she used her painful and traumatic experiences to represent perseverance and strength. In addition, individuals, impacted by this topic or not, can connect to it through her literature and channel her strength. Hopefully in the future we as Canadians are more exposed to this topic, and we can continue to educate individuals on it. This way, this topic will not remain hidden and buried in history, and will receive the recognition and attention it deserves.