How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"We have to deal with all this while we remember it. If we don't we'll pass our anger down in our genes. It's the children who'll suffer," Aunt Emily said. (7.46)
Is Aunt Emily correct? Do Naomi and Stephen suffer as a result of their family's anger?
Quote #5
"Life is so short," I said, sighing, "the past so long. Shouldn't we turn the page and move on?" "The past is the future," Aunt Emily shot back. (7.105)
This one interaction epitomizes the difference between Aunt Emily and Naomi. Naomi is so done with the past, she doesn't even want to talk about it. But that's all Aunt Emily ever wants to talk about.
Quote #6
She places the picture in my hand. "Here is the best letter. This is the best time. These are the best memories." When would this be? I turn the photo around to see if there is any identification on the back, but there is none. (8.29)
When Naomi points out that the photo Obasan says is the best time has no date on it, she implies that it never happened. Like a Photoshop amalgamation, Naomi's happy childhood is a fiction created by her Aunts to keep her happy.