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Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Episode 16 Chapter 8: Death of a Friend, Death of a Mother
川井 龍介
The novel "No-No Boy" reaches a major climax in the second half of the story. Ichiro's mother and his close friend Kenji pass away one after the other. These two deaths appear at the same time in the eighth chapter. How did the author, John Okada, portray these two deaths? …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Chapter 15, Chapter 7: Meeting with a Conscientious White Person
川井 龍介
Due to the circumstances of the war between Japan and the United States, Japanese Americans as a whole were persecuted in American society, but the underlying cause of this was racial prejudice, and throughout "No-No Boy" John Okada shows how to view this issue. Most of the stories are about …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Episode 14, Chapter 6: Kenji's sadness as he senses his impending death
川井 龍介
Chapter 6, halfway through the story, is an impressive chapter in which author John Okada paints a beautiful yet sad picture of a kind-hearted Japanese-American family. Kenji, who lost a leg in the war and whose injury has worsened, leaves Seattle for a veterans hospital in Portland again. Kenji, who …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Chapter 13: Letters from Japan
川井 龍介
Even after the war ended, Ichiro Yamada's mother still couldn't believe that Japan had lost. Ichiro was angry at her stubbornness and fanaticism, and at the same time, he was angry at his father's attitude of not correcting his mother's mistakes and instead keeping his distance from her. In the …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Episode 12, Chapter 4: Meeting Emi with a Broken Heart
川井 龍介
A positive attitude and a good heart In the fourth chapter, following the introduction of Kenji, a friend of the protagonist Ichiro who lost a leg in battle, the author introduces a striking woman, Emi, who is also Japanese, young and attractive, but also carries emotional scars. Emi is married …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Episode 11, Chapter 3: Reunion with a friend who lost a leg
川井 龍介
Author John Okada portrays the inner conflict of the protagonist Ichiro while at the same time making the reader think about various problems in human society. The conflict arises from his interactions with the people he comes into contact with, including his family. Among these characters, the presence of Kenji, …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Episode 10, Chapter 2: Reunion with a friend in the same situation
川井 龍介
After serving two years in prison, Ichiro returns to his home in Seattle. However, his return home is not a relaxing one, and he feels the cold stares of those who did not go to war. Meanwhile, his hatred for his mother, who believes that Japan had not lost, grows, …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Episode 9: Chapter 1: The War Ends, From Prison to Hometown
川井 龍介
The first chapter of "No-No Boy," which consists of eleven chapters, begins with the protagonist Ichiro Yamada returning to his hometown of Seattle after being released from prison after the war. He refused to be drafted and served two years in prison, and he reunites with his family while carrying …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Episode 8: Ripples from Pearl Harbor – Reading from the Preface
川井 龍介
It has been announced that US President Obama will visit Hiroshima. How will Japanese Americans, who found themselves in a complicated position following the outbreak of war between Japan and the US, react to this announcement? Looking back, we can remember how many Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps …
Exploring the world of "No No Boy"
Part 7: The History of John Okada
川井 龍介
What kind of person was John Okada, the author of "No-No Boy"? He was not famous as a professional writer, and there are not many records left about him. His career is detailed in the preface to the new edition by Ruth Ozeki, as well as in "Art, Literature, and …