Okada's No-No Boy Chapter 5

Chapter Five of John Okada's novel No-No Boy begins with Ichiro returning from a night out with Kenji and Emi. He feels slightly guilty for not having told his parents where he was the night before, but his feelings quickly change into anger as he confronts his mother about his plans to move to Portland. First, his mother expresses disapproval of his friend for having fought against the Japanese. This causes Ichiro to sympathize with his mother. He wonders about her ancestors and her heritage, which he feels cut off from. Ichiro cannot fully grasp what it means to be Japanese.

His mother hands him a letter to deliver to his father. His father, who is in the middle of chopping cabbage, reads the letter. It is actually from his mother's sister. The father summons the mother into the kitchen so that she may read the letter, but she refuses. The father reads her the letter aloud, and her anger mounts. Her sister, who writes from Japan, begs for food and candy for the children. In the letter, her sister brings up an old childhood secret as leverage. In spite of this, Ichiro's mother refuses to listen and denies that the letter is actually written by her sister. She retreats to her bedroom and refuses to eat. Ichiro has to watch the storefront and wait on a customer. Ichiro's father fixes some lunch, hoping to lure his wife from her depression. When his efforts fail, Ichiro confronts him, revealing his crisis of identity.

This entire chapter focuses on the familial, cultural, and generational conflicts that pervade No-No Boy. Ichiro perceives his mother as being strong and his father as being weak. Ichiro's father, who likes to drink, is an emotional man for whom Ichiro lacks respect but loves nevertheless. Ichiro's desire to leave town and create a new life for himself stems partly from his inability to reconcile his family and cultural heritage with living in America. Ichiro feels frustrated that his father cannot understand his decision to refuse to fight and resents him for not having a stronger identity.