No-No Boy Essay

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reMa’s Alienation John Okada’s No-No Boy is a novel about a Japanese-American man, Ichiro Yamada, trying to identify with one side of society after World War II. Ichiro was sentenced to prison for two years for refusing to join the U.S. army and fight against the Japanese. A rift is present in Ichiro’s family for Ma, Ichiro’s mother, is adamant in believing that Japan won the war. The distance in relationship between Ichiro's mother and her friends and family is due to her belief in a superior Japan and to one day to return to Japan. Ma ceives a letter from Brazil indicating that Japan has won the war. She ignores letters from Japan asking for money or food by family members who are struggling to live. Ma’s family believes she is crazy and irrational in her belief in a victorious Japan. A letter from a friend in Sao Paulo, Brazil addresses the idea that Japanese government are making preparations to send ships for true Japanese people to return to Japan. A reason why Ma believes the letter is that it is written after the Pearl Harbor attack. The attack which causes United States involvement into the World War II, was one of the biggest loses for the U.S. This plants a seed in her mind that Japan is very strong and takes control of the war. The fact that Japan would send ships for foreign Japanese residents tells Ma what she wants to hear. The whole letter it seems is written to assure the foreign Japanese residents what they believed. Ma shares the letter from Brazil with Mrs. Ashida, whom says this after reading: “It is hard when so many no longer believe, but they are not Japanese like us. They only call themselves such.”(24) This shows the sentiment with which Ma shares. They realize that others do not believe as such but heir stubbornness lets them believe what they want. Mrs. Ashida also says: “They know what they do and it is not their fault. It is the
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