Farewell to Manzanar

2 Pages 433 Words

In the novel, Farewell to Manzanar, an autobiography by Jeanne Wakatuski Houston, her stubborn father demonstrates his pride. To begin, Papa’s pride shines on all of his possessions. Papa is an accomplished fisherman. His boat, The Nereid, is very valuable. When Papa takes The Nereid out to sea, his pride for his boat and fishing business becomes bluntly obvious: “It was worth about $25,000 before the war, and the way he stood in the cabin steering towards open water you would think the whole fleet was under his command” (14). Papa enjoys having a boat that makes others envy him. When he stands in the cabin he feels superior to everyone else. His boat stands for all of his hard work. The Nereid reflects to him and others that Papa is successful. The Nereid represents Papa’s success, and for that reason and many more, Papa is proud of The Nereid. In addition, Papa demonstrates his pride whenever he interacts with others. When the deputies arrive at the Wakatuski resi!
dence to take Papa away from his family, he chooses to lead them out the door: “Ten children and a lot of hard luck had worn away most of the arrogance he came to this country with. But he still had dignity, and would not let those deputies push him out the door. He led them” (17). Papa knows there is nothing to gain by trying to run or escape from the deputies. His logic tells him that he will leave his home with the deputies regardless of the manner in which he chooses to do so. Setting an example for his family, he proudly and courageously leads the deputies out the door. Lastly, Papa takes pride in his family. When the Wakatuski family is released from Manzanar, Papa wants to leave in style. He goes out and buys a car. When he arrives back, he drives the family around the camp. When passing the people waiting for the bus to arrive Papa shouts, “No bus for us! No bus for us!” (173). Papa wants the best for his family. He wants his fa...