What is the summary of Farewell to Manzanar?

Farewell to Manzanar (1973), a memoir by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and her husband, James D. Houston, recounts the harrowing experiences of Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family before, during, and after their time interned at the Manzanar Concentration Camp in America between 1942 and 1945.

What is the main theme of Farewell to Manzanar?

Understanding, Identity and Acceptance. These themes fit together to promote Wakatsuki Houston’s message. As she ages and begins to understand the events during and after Manzanar, she struggles to find acceptance from others and an identity of her own.

What happened in the end of Farewell to Manzanar?

The book ends with a final memory Jeanne has of her now-dead father and the day he bought the car to return them to Los Angeles. Even though he’s a total brute and drunk, the way he drives—like a madman—actually inspires Jeanne with confidence to get past her fears of what life might be like outside of camp.

What is the main conflict in Farewell to Manzanar?

The primary external conflict in the story is between the Japanese community in America and United States Government, who has declared war against Japan, and that all those with Japanese ancestry are eminent threats to the nation’s security.

How did the trip help Jeanne?

9. How did the trip help Jeanne? She realized that since leaving the camp for the first time she nearly had forgotten everything forcing it out of her head. But when she went back she finally was able to understand everything that went on at the camp, and had overcome the “needle” of pain.

What was Jeanne’s double impulse?

What was Jeanne’s double impulse? Jeanne wanted to be invisible so she wouldn’t be looked at as different for the rest of her life. But she also wanted to be acceptable and seen at the same time.

How does Jeanne change in Farewell to Manzanar?

As the story goes on and Jeanne gets older, however, her view of the world shifts drastically. The violent change in her father during the internment years and her later discovery of the unspoken prejudice of the world to which she returns reveals to her that the world is more complicated than she originally realized.

What injustice did Jeanne incur in Farewell to Manzanar?

The injustices done to the Japanese American community was their internment because of their physical appearance and heritage. Jeanne specifically struggled with her identity as a born American citizen with a Japanese face.

Why does Jeanne lose respect for her father?

Jeanne loses even more respect for Papa because of his continual heavy drinking and refusal to conform to American ways. At a PTA awards dinner, he embarrasses Jeanne by overdressing and bowing to the gathered crowd of parents in Japanese fashion. Jeanne begins to see him as unforgivably foreign.

What did Jeanne realize about her oldest daughter?

What was Jeanne thinking about her oldest daughter? She realized that her daughter, at age 11, was the same age as she was when the camp closed.

What is the climax in Farewell to Manzanar?

climaxJeanne’s high school in San Jose elects her carnival queen, but Papa accuses her of flaunting her sexuality and trying to be American.