The Yin and Yang of Identity

According to Chinese philosophy, yin and yang is a philosophy that describes two seemingly opposing forces working together to create a perfect complimentary harmony. This concept creates a tension throughout Ruth Ozeki’s documentary, Halving the Bones. Ozeki, for lack of one, forges an identity for herself, uniting her contrasting backgrounds – specifically, her half-Japanese and half-American backgrounds - with the help of her documentary, Halving the Bones. Her disillusionment begins with her very own name and traces through her relatives’ lives, finally ending with her acceptance of the two opposing heritages.

Ozeki’s confusion with her conflicting identities is raised upon introduction; she states clear disdain on account of her name and remains antagonistic towards her mother for choosing the name in the first place, for “there is not a person in Japan who can say [her] name right.” Ozeki further insists that if a Japanese person were to pronounce “Ruth,” it would be pronounced as “Rusu,” which means “not at home.” Already, a sense of lost identity is realized with Ruth’s own name creating a feeling of estrangement.

Furthering Ozeki’s personal alienation, Ozeki informs the audience that she is “half,” and “in America, people think [she is] Japanese, and in Japan, they think [she is] American. Where ever [she is], [she is] always different.” From the very beginning of the film, the audience is exposed to Ozeki’s disconnected self-awareness. She is pulled between the two cultures, both extremely different in ideologies and customs. Even when she does travel to either country, she feels a persistent isolation. Once again, the feeling of alienation is revealed, highlighting Ozeki’s fragmented identity. Ozeki’s inability to fi...

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...story. Ozeki reinvents herself to realize her own personal truth and creates a new identity with the shards of family history. Though she still shows traces of resentment toward her Japanese ancestry, she eventually grasps onto these roots, for they, along with her American roots, entwine to create the person she is today. To reject any part of oneself is to reject the whole thing; Ozeki unites her Japanese roots with her American origins, creating a yin and yang relationship sustaining in an intricate harmony.

Works Cited

"Children of the Camps | INTERNMENT HISTORY." PBS. Web. 15 Oct. 2009.

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Halving the Bones. Dir. Ruth Ozeki. Women Make Movies. 1996. DVD.

Oishi, Eve. "Screen Memories." Ed. Alexandra Juhasz and Jesse Lerner. F is for Phony:

Fake Documentary and Truth's Undoing (2006): 41-47. Print.