'Obasan': revelations in a paradoxical scheme. (Asian Perspectives)

Japanese-Canadian author Joy Kogawa's novel 'Obasan' addresses the power of speech and silence as they exist in Japanese and Western culture. The thematic layout of the novel and the artistic devices portrayed within it are structured to show the ways in which the effect of speech can be heightened through the use of silence. The novel introduces hidden riddles that show the reader the increase in attributable meaning that silence can bring. As the novel progresses, it becomes apparent that speech is not always necessary when one seeks the hidden meanings behind silence. Suppose you have a st...