Farewell To Manzanar Analysis

Those in the position of racial minorities are constantly questioning their identity, especially in the face of a surrounding majority. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston is no exception to this experience, as she demonstrates in her memoir, Farewell To Manzanar. Due to her unique perspective and situation in the midst of a raging war, she was incessantly questioning her identity. Was she American, as her environment had brought her up to be, or was she Japanese, as her father demanded and fought for; could she be both? These thoughts constantly dart around her head. Nonetheless, Jeanne finally comes to realize that due to her differences in appearance and culture, she cannot be seen as an American. She must finally come to terms with her Japanese ancestry and
Jeanne is now reaching the developmental stage of her youth where she is learning the harsh truths of the world and formulating her own views and opinions of the world surrounding her. It is not until she encounters her differences in the form of subtle racism that she realizes that being Japanese is not something she can solely push away. She must accept her identity because that is what the society at the time forces her to do: “…I would be seen as someone foreign, or as someone other than American,” (158). She will always be an outsider looking in: unable to truly be one with the culture she so strongly identifies with. She may not even be acknowledged: “…I would…perhaps not be seen at all” (158). She cannot be seen at all representing how alone and invisible she feels in an environment beyond reproach at the time. It is interesting to see how desperate Jeanne is to join the environment that reproaches her for existing. Her acceptance of her Japanese ancestry is a very important transformation that will lead to a more complete fulfillment and understanding of her own