42 pages • 1 hour read
Jeanne Wakatsuki HoustonFarewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1973A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Fear of the Unknown
Content Warning: This section discusses the US imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII. It also references alcohol addiction, domestic abuse, and racism/xenophobia.
Fear of the unknown pervades most of the characters’ experiences. Much of the memoir takes place during wartime, with fear as a primary motivation for many of the decisions made by both individuals and institutions. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US government becomes anxious about the loyalty of Japanese Americans—who had never been fully accepted in American society anyway—which drives the decision to establish concentration camps. Similarly, the public perception of Asian immigrants during WWII is shrouded in fear and uncertainty, leading to the establishment of anti-Japanese social groups during the war.
In this environment, Japanese American communities are fearful as well. They fear what will happen to them after the US declares war on Japan. With the introduction of Executive Order 9066, the fear extends into what life will be like in the concentration camps. As the camps finally close, those inside fear what conditions will be like in the outside world—particularly with regard to societal acceptance—which causes many to prefer to stay inside the camps as long as possible. The future is uncertain, precarious, and ever-changing for Japanese Americans during WWII.
Jeanne shares many of these broad anxieties, but because of her young age, that fear coincides with the fears of adolescence. Worries about dating and romance intersect with Jeanne’s feelings about her heritage; she worries that boys will not like her because she is Japanese, but she also does not want boys to take an interest in her simply because she is “exotic.” She wants to be included and accepted by her peers, but she is fearful of being seen as foreign. Her worries stem partly from feelings of shame, which Jeanne grapples with as she processes her time in Manzanar in the decades that follow.
Jeanne’s narration in Part 3 insinuates that she is no longer fearful of the unknown as it relates to her place in American society; she is finally able to say “farewell” to the camp that brought her such fear. Now that Jeanne is an adult, with a family and children of her own, she can accept her past and move on. Ending her account with this reconciliation, the memoir concludes with a tone of hope, peace, and acceptance.
Imprisonment’s Harmful Effects on Mental Health
Generally speaking, the mental health of people who are detained in semi-closed/closed facilities, including refugee camps, detention centers, and prisons, can quickly deteriorate. Substance use, along with other behaviors that may harm others as well as oneself, are common symptoms of this degradation of mental health. Many people who experience such confinement struggle with their mental health for years after their imprisonment ends and often find it difficult to speak of their feelings about the experience.
Jeanne and her family’s time in Manzanar illustrate the trauma associated with forced relocation and imprisonment. Upon arrival in 1942, they live in poor conditions without weather-appropriate clothing or proper sanitation—a loss of basic human dignity. While the December Riot 1942 is an attempt to publicly demonstrate to the camp administration the need for better conditions, the result is not a change in camp facilities; rather, it introduces a new set of restrictions in the form of a “Loyalty Oath” that weighs on the consciences of people like Papa, who feels that answering either way would constitute a betrayal. With the administration’s eventual introduction of extracurriculars such as art, dance, and sports, those in Manzanar can access activities that improve their mental well-being somewhat. This normalcy is a double-edged sword, however; after the closure of the camps, many inside have become fearful of the outside world—one of the many lingering effects of imprisonment.
Jeanne’s narrative focuses particularly on Papa’s struggles with mental health. Coming from a culture of honor, pride, and patriarchy, Papa grapples with his new reality in the camps: powerlessness, suspicion, and a changing family unit. The trauma of his interrogation and imprisonment at Fort Lincoln has a profound effect on Papa, and he rarely speaks about his time there. After arriving at Manzanar, he begins drinking and abusing his family, ultimately turning many of them away from him. His alcohol addiction and general change in behavior persist through the post-Manzanar transition, causing Jeanne to lose respect for Papa.
Jeanne’s own mental health is affected greatly by Manzanar as well; however, the primary emotion that she is forced to reconcile with is shame. It is not until she returns to the camp almost 30 years later that she understands the true effect that her imprisonment had on her sense of self, causing her deep ambivalence about her Japanese American identity. Her ability to thrive despite the lingering trauma of Manzanar is a reminder that it is possible to live beyond imprisonment.
Japanese American Identity
Although discrimination against Asian Americans predated WWII, Jeanne implies that the conflict between Japan and the US made negotiating Japanese American identity particularly fraught. As the establishment of the camps demonstrates, the US government viewed Japanese Americans with extreme suspicion, treating them as potentially (or even probably) loyal to Japan. However, US exclusionist policies that targeted individuals of Asian descent made the situation a catch-22, as immigrants from Japan who wanted to become US citizens—a clear demonstration of allegiance—could not do so.
Jeanne suggests that this left many Japanese Americans in a state of limbo—unable to be “fully” American or “fully” Japanese and facing harsh consequences either way. This choice, however, was exactly what the US government demanded of Japanese Americans during WWII: total allegiance to one country or the other, as in the introduction of the Loyalty Oath. Jeanne notes that this had a counterproductive effect on those in Manzanar; in questioning their loyalty and pressuring them to renounce the Japanese side of themselves entirely, the Oath turned many who had supported the US away.
Embracing American identity was fraught in its own way. Without the ability to become a citizen or own land, Japanese Americans could not feel the sense of belonging that other Americans did, even after the closure of the camps. Furthermore, in the wake of the Loyalty Oath, loyalty to the US could result in ostracism within one’s own community. Despite Papa’s clear love of Japanese culture—as evidenced by his desire for Jeanne to conform to traditional Japanese norms of femininity—his support for the “YES/YES” movement makes him suspect in Manzanar, with many viewing him as a traitor. Meanwhile, Jeanne internalizes a deep sense of shame as a result of her treatment during WWII; though she was relatively “Americanized” even before the experience, in its aftermath, she desperately wants to fit in with her white peers. That she cannot imagine doing so while being Japanese American highlights the “choice” that the US government forced Japanese Americans to make during the war. She does not fully come to terms with her dual identity until her return to Manzanar.
