Hyphens in Literature

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Hyphens in Literature

A hyphen is "a mark indicating connection: used to connect the elements of certain compound words."[F1] When a hyphen is used to connect words, the resulting word has qualities of the other two words. It is neither one nor the other, but somewhere between. For instance, the word "passive-aggressive" suggests that someone is not just passive or just aggressive: they are somewhere between the two personality traits, having qualities of both but not fitting either description. When someone is a Scottish-Canadian, for example, they are not really Scottish because they live in Canada. On the other hand, they are not really Canadian because their ancestors were born in Scotland. Often, people find themselves caught in a "hyphen" like this. They do not seem to fit in anywhere, although they have characteristics of the two sides. One such person is Adso from The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. He is a young novice in a monastery. Although he has taken a vow of celibacy, he falls in love with a peasant girl. He wants to marry her, but he cannot break his religious vows, and he also does not want to leave the monastery. He finds himself torn between his love of God and his love for the peasant girl. Adso does not fit in with society because he has taken the vows of a monk. However, he does not fit in with the monks because he has broken his religious vows by sinning with the girl. He finds himself in the "hyphen" between the church and the outside world. This is similar to the situation of Naomi in Obasan. She is a "Japanese-Canadian": she is not Japanese because she lives in Canada, and she is not considered Canadian because her ancestors were born in Japan. The Webster's definition of hyphenated is: "Implying or relating to a naturalized person of foreign birth, especially to one whose sympathies are with the land of his birth."[F2] It suggests that Naomi lives in Canada but is still tied with Japan. Naomi is torn between being Japanese and being Canadian. She does not know where she belongs. Naomi lives in the hyphen of her existence because of her relationships with Aunt Emily and Obasan, her conflicting traditions, and her dreams.

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To begin with, Naomi lives in the hyphen of her existence because of her relationships with Aunt Emily and Obasan. The two aunts are opposites. Naomi says of her aunts:

How different my two aunts are. One lives in sound, the other in stone. Obasan's language remains deeply underground but Aunt Emily, BA, MA, is a word warrior. She's a crusader, a little old grey-haired Mighty Mouse, a Bachelor of Advanced Activists and General Practitioner of Just Causes.[F3]

Obasan is silent about the mistreatment of Japanese-Canadians. She just wants to forget the past and move on. In contrast, Aunt Emily ...

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