Houston, We Have a Perception Problem: How the Camp Threw Shade on Dad
Let's talk about daddy issues, Manzanar style. In Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's Farewell to Manzanar, things are tense enough without everyone whispering behind your dad's back. But that's exactly what happens to Papa. The other Japanese Americans in the internment camp see him as a bit of a Benedict Arnold, and let's just say it throws a wrench into Houston's idea of dear old dad.
Side-Eye From the Stands: The "Is He a Traitor?" Debacle
So, what exactly lands Papa in the doghouse of public opinion? It all boils down to a pesky little thing called the loyalty oath. This oath basically asked Japanese Americans to swear allegiance to the US despite, you know, being locked up in a giant dirt field. Papa, ever the pragmatist, decides to play ball. Now, according to the camp peanut gallery, this makes him a turncoat, someone who sold out his heritage for a slightly less dusty corner of Manzanar.
Houston, bless her heart, is stuck in the middle. On one hand, she sees her dad struggling to keep the family afloat. On the other hand, the whispers sting. Is her dad a hero for keeping things together, or a villain who forgot where his loyalty lies? It's enough to make a kid want to hide under the rickety cot and pretend the whole situation is a particularly unpleasant dream.
Dad vs. The Cool Kids: Why Fitting In Matters (Even in a Dust Bowl)
Houston is at that awkward age where everyone's opinion feels like the ultimate truth. So, when the "cool kids" (yes, even internment camps have a social hierarchy) brand her dad a traitor, it stings. Does this mean she's a traitor by association? This internal struggle is a recipe for some serious teenage angst, Manzanar style.
Here's the thing: Houston is trying to figure out who she is, and a big part of that is figuring out who her dad is. But when everyone else seems to have a pre-written villain origin story for him, it makes things a tad confusing.
Houston's journey is a hilarious and heartbreaking exploration of loyalty, family, and the importance of forming your own damn opinions, even when everyone else seems to have theirs readily available. In the end, she learns that her dad's a complex dude, just like everyone else. He might bend a little in the wind, but that doesn't mean he's broken.
