Farewell To Manzanar Literary Analysis

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Recommended: Modern world history chapter 16 world war ii

Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, describes the life of Jeanne and her family during World War II. During this time Jeanne was a young girl who could not comprehend what was occurring in her life. Jeanne and her family were forced to move to Manzanar due to government orders after the bombing of pearl harbor. After the bombing, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order, that relocated all Japanese-Americans to internment camps. In the camps were Jeanne and her family were forced to live, her and her family faced difficult living conditions, conflict with other, riots, cultural conflict and racial issues.

The book Farewell to Manzanar aside from discussing Jeanne’s life, also mentions Jeanne’s family and their experience during, before, and after their time spend in Manzanar. Jeanne explains how difficult her mother’s experience was in Manzanar and how hard her mother had to work. Jeanne mentions her brother’s loyalty to the country, and his leadership crisis. Jeanne also …show more content…

The way in which Jeanne refers to the environment that surrounds her shows how she identifies with American culture much more than with her Japanese culture. Jeanne considers herself an American, and cannot relate herself with Japanese her culture. Even though Jeanne attempts to connect with her Japanese customs, she prefers to spend her time doing non-Japanese activities.

Jeanne’s difficult life, makes one realize how grateful we should be to live in a society filled with many privileges. Not every place in this world allows for individuals to have many of the privileges we take for granted here in the United States. What we take for granted in our society today is something we should be thankful for, because our country has grown into a better society when compared to how it was eighty years

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