Dehumanization in Obasan
Dehumanization in Obasan The theme that drives the novel Obasan, by Joy Kogawa, is the oppression of the Nisei, the second generation Japanese. The oppression is accomplished through dehumanization, discrimination and racism. The Japanese people of Canada are abused and confined like livestock during the years of World War II. In the mind of most Canadians, the Japanese people are more-animal than human, which in their eyes, justifies their violent and abusive actions.