Question

In the book, Farewell to Manzanar, when Mama moves the family to Terminal Island, why is Jeanne afraid? In your opinion, is she culturally more American or more Japanese? Why?

Answer 1

In the book, Farewell to Manzanar, when Mama moves the family to Terminal Island, why is Jeanne afraid?

Answer: Because she was never before surrounded by so many Japanese people on a daily basis.

Explanation:

Farewell to Manzanar is a 1973 memoir written by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James Houston. The book is a description of Jeanne's experiences during Wolrd War II.

In the book, when Papa is arrested, Mama decides to move the family to the Japanese ghetto which is located on Terminal Island. Jeanne is afraid, as she never found herself around so many Japanese people. She is supposed to go to school with them and be surrounded by them all the time. Moreover, there is a joke told by her father when she was younger - that he would sell her to Japanese people if she did not listen to him.

In your opinion, is she culturally more American or more Japanese? Why?

Answer: As she was raised in American culture and speaks English quite proficiently, it could be argued that she is more American than Japanese. She is, however, a mixture of both.

Explanation:

Jeanne probably considers herself to be more American than Japanese. This kind of viewpoint explains her reaction to a family's sudden moving to a Japanese ghetto. She was raised in American culture and is quite proficient in English, while we might assume that she cannot take pride in her Japanese knowledge - we are not sure if she speaks it at all. This all leads to her not being accepted by other Japanese. However, her "fear" of Japanese people is quite ironic, as she is partially Japanese herself.