Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment

For Jeanne and many others, Manzanar brings significant changes to traditional Japanese family structure. Prior to Manzanar, dinner is a communal, family-focused time for Jeanne and her family; they would prepare the food and eat together, bonding as a family. This eating schedule is one of many changes in Manzanar, as Jeanne and her family begin to take meals separately or with their friends. Meanwhile, Papa’s deteriorating mental health causes others—Woody, Mama, etc.—to take on aspects of his old role as the head of the family. Jeanne notes that even after Manzanar, her family could not resume their previous communal eating schedule—a remark that symbolizes the broader, lasting impact of the camp on family life. Most notably, Mama becomes the family breadwinner, displacing Papa from a position deeply intertwined with his pride and sense of self.

This motif, therefore, supports the themes of both Japanese American Identity and Imprisonment’s Harmful Effects on Mental Health. Jeanne realizes how important the family structure is for both as it begins changing in Manzanar, and she longs for the normalcy of her life prior to the camp. She notes that the changes to the family unit were difficult for many in Manzanar, to the point that sociologists who studied the camp encouraged families to reunite for their meals in the mess hall.