Nisei Daughter Essay - Grade: A+ PDF

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Essay on the book "Nisei Daughter" by Monica Sone...

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Metcalf HIST 1493-001 28 October 2016 Nisei Daughter Essay In her autobiographical work Nisei Daughter, Monica Sone, born Kazuko, describes growing up as the daughter of Japanese immigrants in America around the time of World War II. Kazuko’s childhood is a happy mix of Japanese and American culture and people. Apart from a few incidents, Kazuko doesn’t experience major discrimination until the outbreak of World War II and the subsequent bombing of Pearl Harbor. Her entire family is forced to part with most of their possessions and moved to an internment camp. Despite the unfair treatment, Kazuko and her family face their situation with an impressive optimism. They were not betrayed by the American system, but rather by the American people. Therefore, Kazuko’s experiences with Americans throughout her life, which are largely positive, shape her views of American government. Although Kazuko experiences discrimination by the American government that completely changes her way of life, she emerges from the experience with her belief in democracy intact because she recognizes democracy as an extension of the people. As a young child, Kazuko does not understand how she can be Japanese and American at the same time. She first faces discrimination when she goes looking for a summer beach house with her mother. Many of the houses feature signs asking for renters, but when Kazuko’s mother tries to rent, she is told the house has already been rented out. Some owners blatantly display their prejudice, “I’m sorry, but we don’t want Japs around here” (114). Kazuko knows that her

parents aren’t citizens like her by now, but she never thought that it could be a problem. Despite the harsh words, Kazuko’s mother remains cheerful and strong, “I want you, Henry, and Sumichan to learn to respect yourselves. Not because you’re white, black, or yellow, but because you’re a human being” (114). Kazuko surely owes a great deal of her optimism and faith to her mother’s unwavering resilience in the face of prejudice. While incidents like this do occur, Kazuko is mostly surrounded by Japanese and American people who accept her as she is. Kazuko’s father runs a hotel and employs a few American men. Growing up, these men are almost a part of Kazuko’s family. Shortly after Kazuko graduates business school, she is diagnosed with tuberculosis and spends nine months in a sanitarium. During her time there, Kazuko meets many new people and befriends an American girl named Chris. Kazuko doesn’t bond with other Nisei girls at the sanitarium, but her friendship with Chris lasts even after they go their separate ways. When a family friends makes the decision to move to Japan, Kazuko has difficult understanding his decision. “Even with all the mental anguish and struggle, an elemental instinct bound us to this soil. Here we were born; here we wanted to live. We had tasted its freedom and learned of its brave hopes for a democracy” (124). Her and other Nisei are American more than they are Japanese. They cannot turn their back on American life and customs any more than other Americans can. Kazuko’s American friends are proof to her that the people who control American government are largely good. When Kazuko first learns that she will be forced to relocate to an internment camp, she hardly believes it. The government and the people that she put her faith in have betrayed her. Regardless of her American citizenship and identity, Kazuko is being treated as a foreign enemy. Even Kazuko’s ever-optimistic parents are bitter and upset. As Kazuko’s life completely changes,

though, her American friends do not abandon her. Perhaps if they had, she would not have retained her faith in democracy as she did. When the camp ground turns to mud, Kazuko and her sister search for galoshes and are unable to find any. Kazuko turns to her old friend Chris and sends her a letter requesting help. When Chris cannot find any galoshes available for purchase, she finds two pairs in her own basement and sends them to Kazuko. Though a relatively small act, Chris’s friendship is important to Kazuko at a time when it seems that the American people are against her. On a free weekend, Joe from Kazuko’s family hotel comes to visit them. He brings treats for everyone and emphasizes his continuing friendship. Such friendly gestures remind Kazuko of the good in America and she lets go of her anger, “there was little to be gained in bitterness and cynicism because we felt that people had failed us” (186). As Kazuko maintains relationships with her American friends, she also maintains her faith in American democracy and government. When Kazuko is finally able to leave the camp, she faces the situation with excitement and a positive attitude even though she cannot return home to the West Coast, “I hoped that I might come to know another aspect of America which would inject strength into my hyphenated Americanism instead of pulling it apart” (216). Kazuko accepts a job offer in Chicago and goes to live with a pastor and his wife. Although the Richardsons have three sons in the military and are more than familiar with Japanese-American conflict, they welcome Kazuko and immediately make her feel comfortable with them. As her first exposure to Americans after leaving the internment camp, the Richardsons remind Kazuko that Americans can be good. While Kazuko’s Japanese identity still draws attention to her, her experiences are “invariably pleasant” (221). People do not regard her with suspicion, but rather curiosity and interest. Soon, Kazuko leaves

Chicago to attend university in Indiana. As with her experiences in Chicago, Kazuko is made to feel welcome. Because of her Japanese descent, Kazuko is not eligible to join a sorority. Seeing this as unfair, three girls representing their sorority personally apologize to Kazuko and express their regret at not being able to recruit her. Once again, her faith in the American people is renewed. When Kazuko returns to the camp to visit her parents, she confides in them that her recent experiences have strengthened her Japanese-American identity and made her proud of it. She is comforted by the idea that American democracy is dependent on American people, who she sees as largely kind and welcoming. Growing up as a Japanese-American in the climate of World War II, Kazuko faces great adversity and is even forced into an internment camp. While these experiences initially anger her, Kazuko emerges from her experiences with a strong faith in American government. This is primarily due to the positive experiences she has with American people. A democracy can only be as successful as those who run it, and Kazuko believes that Americans have a deep capacity for good despite their mistakes. Against all odds, Nisei Daughter ends with Kazuko’s unwavering belief in democratic ideals....