Adah is crippled emotionally and physically, Rachel is crippled emotionally and grows into a woman constantly seeking approval from low-life men. Orleanna is crippled emotionally and it scars her and affects her relationships with her children. The women are also spiritual captives to Nathan's version of religion, which is presented as fundamental extremism in this novel. None of them experience any of the freedom that true faith allows, which is disturbing, since they are a family of missionaries supposed to be bringing the "good news" to the natives. They are also physically captive.
The war drives Sierra Leone to a state of poverty which causes Mariatu and her family to become very desperate for money. Which leads to the last cause, the obligation Mariatu has to provide for her Sierra Leonean family. Mariatu's personal experiences motivate her to make the cultural transition from a Sierra Leonean to a Canadian society. The most discussed issue in The Bite of the Mango is the civil war that is taking place in Sierra Leone. The war affects Mariatu in a number of ways, it separates her from her family, it causes her hands to be cut off, and in the end causes a poor means of life for her and her new family.
Grace lived a very broken life with Joseph Galloway. To elevate himself in social and financial position, he married her and gained entrée into politics. Being a white woman back then meant staying at home to protect crops and agriculture as her husband would move to another location. This caused great stress and anxiety for her. One thing that led to the departure of her family was when Joseph Galloway considered the British as an ally.
The characters in Obasan were being forced by their aunt Obasan to keep their culture while society was telling them to change and fit in. Both novels had a problem with society; society was always trying to control everyone and this was an issue Obasan and The Crucible share. Naomi’s brother had a hard time in school, he was being persecuted with racist remarks. Even after WW2 many Canadian citizens were very racist to Japanese Canadians and this made it very hard for them to succeed in life. The people of Salem weren’t persecuted with racist remarks but with the accusation of being a witch or being involved with the
She also describes the ill treatment of Native Americans as a whole by the government and their persistence to assimilate the Indians. I believe her intentions for writing this book were to inform the American people of the cruel and horrific treatment of the Native Americans and to educate them in ways the history books conveniently do not. As a child, Mary was forced into boarding school in an attempt to assimilate the Native children where they literally tried beat the Sioux out of you. Mary’s mother also attended boarding school and encouraged Mary to go and learn the white mans ways. Mary becomes a rebellious teenager, quits school and embraces her traditions, culture and looks to the elders for advice.
41) Nick says when Nick is at the asylum to help Lewis direct. This is also when Nick and Lewis fight verbally. He doesn’t appreciate the meeting that the opera has for the patients, and sees both the patient’s attitudes and opera itself as “right wing crap”. Nick has a low tolerance for the quirks of the patients, and insensitive towards them, making a joke about their situation. Nick and Lucy didn’t even go to watch the play “Cosi”.
Rosa used the shawl as a shield to protect her daughter from the Nazi’s. If they knew Magda was hidden there she would have “been dead already”. Magda was wrapped so tightly that she was mistaken for Rosa’s breast. When Ozick describes how “Rosa clung to the shawl as if it covered only herself,” it becomes apparent that Rosa put up a fight to keep her daughter alive (2). Rosa knew
In that time family matters were defined culturally as “women’s area of concern” (Peterson, page 214). The “wise” women shared their beliefs and knowledge to others about the importance of family. The role of a grandmother is highly respected, and they are a source of love, strength, and stability (Peterson, page 216). Religion emphasizes as an outlet for the oppressed (Peterson, page 216). They give insight to the young on their own values.
She considers her daughters, grandchildren and family as accomplishments. Just living to be 66 is a great accomplishment in her opinion. She still drives and works as a caregiver to two women she met during one of Lee’s stays in hospice. She attends church regularly and volunteers in the community shelter.
Najaf gives an example of the conflict existing in the camp, “The husband can’t make the authorities hurry… So he gets into a bad mood, and maybe there’s a fight, maybe somebody hits somebody else with a weapon, a piece of wood, something like that.” This attitude can also be reflected in the riots that broke out in the Villawood detention centre in 2011, where detainees performed acts of self harm and caused destruction and chaos amongst the whole camp. Those individuals were unable to come to terms with their current situation and overcome their hardship like Najaf had; instead they had let their weaknesses bring them down and prevented themselves from overcoming a problem in a constructive