“No-No Boy has the honor of being among the first of what has become an entire literary canon of Asian American literature,” writes novelist Ruth Ozeki in her new foreword. First published in
1957
, No-No Boy was virtually ignored by a public eager to put World War II and the Japanese internment behind them.
What year does No-No Boy take place?
No-No Boy is a
1957
novel, and the only novel published by the Japanese American writer John Okada. It tells the story of a Japanese-American in the aftermath of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Where did the term No-No Boy come from?
No-No Boy gets its name from
the Japanese Americans who were ordered to live in internment camps during World War II
, soon after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1942. Citizens incarcerated at these camps were deprived of their civil rights yet asked to serve in combat duty and swear allegiance to the US.
What is the theme of No-No Boy?
The main themes in No-No Boy are
loyalty, generational conflict, and identity
. Loyalty: Ichiro is asked to pledge his loyalty to the United States. However, this expectation of loyalty proves one-sided once Japanese internment begins.
How many pages does No-No Boy have?
| ISBN-13: 9780295994048 | Publication date: 08/01/2014 | Series: Classics of Asian American Literature | Edition description: Reprint | Pages: 264 |
|---|
What does the term No-No Boy mean?
the colloquial term
for detained Japanese Americans who answered “no”
to questions 27 and 28 on the so-called “loyalty questionnaire” during World War II. Those who answered no, or who were deemed disloyal, were segregated from other detainees and moved to the Tule Lake Relocation Camp in California.
Who is bull in no-no boy?
| Character Description | Bull Bull is an angry Japanese American war veteran who resents the no-no boys. | Mr. Carrick Mr. Carrick is a sympathetic man and an engineer in Portland who offers Ichiro a job as a draftsman. | Jim Eng Jim Eng is the Chinese bartender at the Club Oriental, a bar popular with Japanese Americans. |
|---|
Who wrote no-no boy?
John Okada
was born in Seattle in 1923. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II, attended the University of Washington and Columbia University, and died of a heart attack at the age of 47. No-No Boy is his only published novel.
Who is Kenji in no-no boy?
Kenji is
a veteran and an old acquaintance of Ichiro’s
. The two reconnect after Ichiro is released from prison and spend several days together. Kenji has progressive ideas about how the world should be—he dreams of a future in which there is no animosity between people of different races or ethnicities.
What is a no-no person?
1.
Something unacceptable or impermissible
: “Even though his company wasn’t the one involved in the case, what he did is considered a definite no-no” (Mike Royko). 2. A social blunder; a faux pas.
Where do the Yamadas live no-no boy?
No-No Boy, by John Okada, was first published in 1957. Set in
Seattle
after the end of World War II, it tells the story of Ichiro Yamada, a young Japanese American who refused to serve in the U.S. armed forces during the war and was consequently imprisoned for two years.
What did the Evacuation Claims Act provide?
In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Evacuation Claims Act, which gave internees the opportunity to submit claims for property lost as a result of relocation.
How does Ichiro react to the names that Eto calls him after realizing itchy is a no no boy?
Ichiro tries to avoid him but Eto chases him down, calling him
by his nickname, Itchy, and reintroducing himself. However, when Eto realizes that Ichiro was not in the army, his demeanor shifts and he becomes angry. He remembers that Ichiro was a no-no boy.
Who is the main character in No No Boy?
Ichiro Yamada
, the protagonist, leaves an internment prison only to return home to a different form of prison, one without physical bars, but more difficult from which to break. This stronghold is within his mind.
Who is Mr Carrick?
Mr. Carrick is
a white man who feels incredible guilt and shame regarding the United States’ treatment of its Japanese citizens
. Although Ichiro turns down Mr. Carrick’s offer, the knowledge that there are decent people out there free from prejudice inspires and motivates Ichiro to continue looking for work.
What kind of a car does Kenji own?
Vehicles. Kenji drives
a Mazda RX-7
that can be obtained by the player through a pink slip marker from his Boss Bonus Cards.
