Themes In Farewell To Manzanar

A book that is commonly considered as a coming of age story happens to be Esperanza Rising, with its main character growing throughout the story. Esperanza’s story begins with her living a wealthy life in Mexico, she has everything she wants and could possibly need as a young girl. Unfortunately, her father is killed by bandits and Esperanza and her Mama must move to labor camps in California. Throughout the adjustment and after, Esperanza experiences many events that consequently allow her to grow and mature. This story is very similar to Jeanne Wakatsuki’s Farewell to Manzanar. The memoir follows the life of Jeanne Wakatsuki, a girl of Japanese descent that is forced to go to internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Throughout

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Government is worried about another attack and decides to start taking the Japanese in for questioning. Due to Papa's alien status and the fact that he holds a commercial fishing license, he is inevitably taken in and is not seen again for another year. Jeanne describes it as, “... the beginning of a terrible, frantic time for all my family. But I myself didn't cry about Papa, or have any inkling of what was wrenching Mama's heart, until next time I saw him, almost a year later” (Wakatsuki, 9). This shows that while Jeanne’s family is frantic and worried, Jeanne seems as if she doesn't care. This is due to the fact that she fails to understand what the cause of all the worry is. Jeanne is utterly confused and can’t formulate an explanation as to why her mother would be so heavy hearted. She is too young to comprehend why her father was taken and how the loss of a loved one, even if not permanent, can affect a person mentally and emotionally. At one point the U.S Government decides that the Japanese can no longer be trusted and must be rounded up and placed into to internment camps. The Wakatsukis eventually receive their order from the government and are forced to leave their home and move to the internment camp, Manzanar. Throughout the

After Manzanar, Jeanne and her family settle down and Jeanne is back to a normal life. She is chosen to lead majorette and participates in the Boy Scouts marching band with her friend Radine. “Radine and I were both maturing early. The boys in the band loved having us out there in front of them all the time, bending back and stepping high, in our snug satin outfits and short skirts. Their dads, mostly navy men, loved it too. At that age I was too young to consciously use my sexuality or to understand how an Oriental female can fascinate Caucasian men, and of course I too young to see that even this is usually just another form of invisibility ” (Wakatsuki 163). Jeanne is beginning to notice her sexuality and the effect it has on others, specifically Caucasian men. This whole idea of sexuality is very new to her as she has just understood the weapon she holds. She realizes that she can use this as an advantage for herself in order to overcome the limitations of her race due to war. Her femininity has always just been there but now that it is showing it’s more physical side, Jeanne is beginning to learn more about it. As Jeanne continues to gain recognition among her peers, she's elected to run for the annual Carnival Queen from the graduating seniors. Jeanne is selected as Queen and when she reveals this to her family, Papa is not