Essay Questions

Is Jeanne’s childhood taken away from her when her family is sent to the containment camp?

Despite the many challenges exposed to Jeanne at the camp, she manages to make new friends. She plays with her friends all the time despite the fact that she rarely sees her mother. The camp is overcrowded and unequipped because it was hurriedly prepared. Many facilities are missing and this poses many people to death and ailments. However, despite all these, Jeanne’s childhood is not taken away because she is able to enjoy playing with other children.

Which theme is emerging from the containment camps?

Racism is emerging as the main theme from the containment areas. The Japanese Americans are put in these camps and they are unequally treated. For instance, Jeanne and her family are taken to Manzanar camp which does not have basic necessities for human survival. Japanese Americans are treated as lesser beings. The reader also learns that the Japanese are brutalized and illegally imprisoned. Since the Japanese are contained in camps, they are denied access to any opportunity to better their lives.

What is the symbolic meaning of Mt. Whitney as used in Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Houston, James D. Houston?

Mt. Whitney is used by the author as a symbol that represents acceptance. The containment camps are located on the shadows of Mt. Whitney. What the detainees learn is that no one can fight a mountain because it is there to stay implying that they admit to live within the camps because they are powerless to the American authorities.