Passage to Adulthood
A detailed Summary of Passage to Adulthood
In the novel, Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, the author writes an autobiography about living in an internment camp during World War II, known as Manzanar. It was written in 1995 with the help of her husband and reflects on her past of growing up in a racial discriminated environment, because of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. Jeanne becomes confused with the actions taking place towards her family and develops a fear toward other Asians because of her past Caucasian living environment. Jeanne's prejudice against herself during her Manzanar maturation, damages her future perspective and lifestyle on her passage to adulthood.
The novel begins when Pearl Harbor is bombed. Jeanne is only seven and she doesn't understand. Her father is taken away because of suspicion, shortly thereafter

her family is moved through many interment camps by the government. Eventually they are moved to an internment camp, Manzanar. Her father returns with a cane, a sign of weakness. He doesn't need the cane but uses it as symbolism. Jeanne feels her father is dying. Her father demonstrates his uselessness through his cane, and carries it the rest of his life. Life at Manzanar begins to unfold and begins to seem like a world of its own. Jeanne's maturation begins with her new aspect of life. She goes to a kind of pre-school, where she prepares to attend school on the outside. Just when the camp begins to settle and everyone becomes comfortable, the Supreme Court rules that the government cannot detain citizens against their will, thus releasing everyone. Most people decide not to leave, because they have cre
Some common words found in the essay are:
Supreme Court, Pearl Harbor, Harbor Jeanne, Life Manzanar, Caucasian Manzanar, Manzanar Jeanne, Carnival Queen, II Manzanar, Wakatsuki Houston, San Jose, passage adulthood, internment camp, pearl harbor, manzanar jeanne, jeanne's family,
Approximate Word count = 550
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
Category: Novels
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