Blu's Hanging is a 1997 coming-of-age novel by Lois-Ann Yamanaka. It follows the Ogata family after the death of their mother, as each family member struggles to come to terms with their grief. The story is told through Ivah, a smart-mouthed thirteen-year-old who is left as the oldest child to take care of her younger siblings, Blu and Maisie, while she struggles with her own grief, emerging sexuality, and awareness of the world. Similar to Yamanaka's other works, Blu's Hanging, encompasses the topics of racial politics and the diverse culture of Hawaii, as well as the coming of age of the main character amongst various sexual threats and questions.
Following its publication, it was awarded the literature prize by the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS), which was later revoked on the grounds that her portrayals of certain minorities were racist.James "This Hawaii Is Not for Tourists", The Atlantic Monthly, 1999
Plot summary Blu's Hanging is a novel which introduces the very distressed life of the Ogata family. Sisters Ivah, Blu, and Maisie struggle to deal with life and the issues that ensue as a result of the death of their mother, Eleanor. Their father, Poppy, struggles to parent them, barely making ends meet and not knowing how to care for his children after losing his wife. Ivah is left to fulfill the maternal role to her two younger siblings and is held to unrealistic expectations by her father.
Even though Eleanor has died, her presence among the family remains. This has both positive and negative effects on the family. The Ogata's struggle to move on, specifically Poppy, who cannot come to grips with her death. He constantly speaks of Eleanor, with frequent references to Moon River. He becomes hardened and cold to his children as he struggles to grieve. The children are also deeply affected by Eleanor's seemingly constant presence within the family. As they still look to her for guidance and support in dealing with their issues, they are able to rely on her when in pain yet battle with being able to move on.
Because of the fractured state their family is in, their wounded unit is easily torn apart by outer societal influences. Due to the lack of parenting, each child struggles to cope in unique ways. They are treated harshly by Poppy and are neglected of any true care or concern. As he is depressed himself, he turns to drugs bringing the family to a more desperate state, economically and emotionally. Certain events begin to unfold and proper judgment on behalf of the children is not used. They find themselves teetering with very dangerous situations to which Eleanor would've never approved of. As a result, Uncle Paulo, a neighbor of the family, rapes Blu, weakening the already fragile state of the Ogatas.
Poppy, left feeling beside himself, blames Ivah for her abandonment of her younger siblings as she attempted to cross her first stepping stone to independence (i.e. going away to school). As the children have no real support system, and they are constantly combated with troublesome circumstances including racial angst and violence, they are left to feel like orphans as their place in society seems to diminish even further.
Ultimately; Ivah, Blu and Maisie, who are still very attached to the presence of Eleanor, are able somewhat move on through the letting go of their dog, Ka-san. Poppy, still unable to cope with the loss of his wife, leaves as well. Although the children are conclusively alone, it seems as a small glimmer of hope in allowing them to reform as individuals
Characters
Major characters
Ivah Harriet Ogata
Ivah is the narrator and protagonist of Blu's Hanging – we see the novel entirely through her perspective. Ivah is the oldest of Bertram's three children and acts as a protector and caretaker of Blu and Maisie after their mother dies. Blu's Hanging acts as a coming of age narrative for Ivah, where she transforms into a maternal figure.
Bertram Ogata (Poppy)
"Poppy" is the narrator's father. He and his wife, Eleanor, have three children: Ivah, Blu, and Maisie. His wife dies just before the beginning of the novel, but he has not assumed the primary caretaker role of the family. He works several jobs, but his family lives in poverty. Poppy is sometimes rude and abrasive and Ivah often has to take care of him. He lives with leprosy like his wife did.
Presley Vernon Ogata (Blu)
The middle child, Blu has very few friends. At school, the kids make fun of him for his paper bag lunches. Blu is overweight for his age and he often eats gluttonously. He makes friends with a boy named Ed and he is infatuated with the Reyes sisters who live next door, but his sisters Ivah and Maisie are his best friends.
Maisie Tsuneko Ogata
The youngest of the Ogata children, Maisie is in Kindergarten. In Kindergarten, Maisie wets her pants daily and is eventually placed into Special Education, where Miss Ito helps her speak. Although she is a predominantly silent character, Maisie lends insight into the spirit of her mother.
Minor characters
Eleanor Ogata (Mama)
The mother of the Ogata children, Eleanor dies a few months before the novel begins, but she is mentioned frequently. We later find out that she died from the treatment she used for her leprosy. Ivah often reflects on her mother's absence.
Mr. Iwasaki
Mr. Iwasaki is an old Japanese man who lives on the way to the Friendly Market. He exposes himself to passers-by. He exposed himself to Ivah's mother and later to Blu as Blu and Maisie were walking by.
Uncle Paulo
The Reyes girls' uncle, Uncle Paulo is a 20-year-old Filipino male. He is a sexual predator who molests his under-aged nieces and eventually Blu.
Henrilyn Reyes
Henrilyn is one of the younger Reyes girls who live next door to the Ogatas.
Trixi Reyes
Trixi is one of the Younger Reyes girls who live next door to the Ogatas. She enjoys playing with the canary at home and she is afraid of her Uncle Paulo who threatens to rape her.Yamanaka 1997, p.173
Blendaline Reyes
Blendaline, nicknamed "Blendie," is one of the Ogata's neighbors. She is Blu's first girlfriend and they are sexually intimate with each other.
Evangeline Reyes
Evangeline, nicknamed "Vangie", is Ivah's age. She starts dating Mitchell, the boy Ivah has a crush on, and the two of them have sex.
Ka-San
Ka-San is Maisie's dog, named after "O-kasan", which Eleanor Ogata used to play for her children to make them feel spoiled. Maisie says that the dog is Mama.
Hoppy Creetat
Hoppy is the Ogata's cat. She gives birth to four kittens: Miss Anna, Fortune Cookie, Morris the Cat, and Kingdom Come.
Miss Tammy Owens
Miss Owens is Maisie's Kindergarten teacher who discourages Maisie and sends her to Special Education for her lack of communication skills.
Betty Fukuda
Aunty Betty is Bertram's sister and aunt of the three Ogata children. Flies all four Ogata's to her house in Hilo for Thanksgiving. She continually brags about her daughter, Lila Beth.
Myron Fukuda
Uncle Myron is Aunt Betty's husband. He is a teacher.
Ed the Big Head Endo
Ed is one of Blu's only friends in the novel. Ivah doesn't care for him because she thinks he takes advantage of Blu's spending money. Blu always buys Pepsi and barbecue chips with Ed, so they call themselves "Pep and Bob." Blu is Pep; Ed is Bob.
Lila Beth Fukuda
Lila is Betty and Myron's daughter who is a senior in high school. She always smells like strawberry musk and wears low-cut tops and low-rise jeans.
Faith Ann Fukuda (Big Sis)
Big Sis is Betty and Myron's elder daughter who is also the oldest cousin of the Ogata's. She is entering her last year of college at Hilo College and goes on to live with Miss Ito as a teacher. She is less feminine than her younger sister Lila.
Mitchell
Mitchell has been Ivah's Portuguese friend since he moved to Kaunakakai from El Segundo. Ivah has a crush on him and thinks of him differently than the other boys. He dates Evangeline and Ivah is his only "friend-friend." He later becomes a Born Again Christian and cleanses himself of his sexual encounters with Evangeline.
Miss Sandra Ito
Miss Ito, or Sandie, is Maisie's Special Ed teacher. She helps Maisie improve her communication skills tremendously. She invites the Ogata children over for dinner and a sleepover for Maisie's birthday.
Mrs. Nishimoto
Mrs. Nishimoto is a schoolteacher from Bloomingdale, Ohio who hires Blu and Ivah to iron shirts for her. She has many children herself, and it is at Mrs. Nishimoto's house where Ivah demonstrates her true motherly qualities by taking charge when the mother herself is overwhelmed.
Mrs. Ikeda (Icky)
Mrs. Ikeda, also referred to as "Icky," hires the Ogata children to take care of her dogs.
Jim Cameron
Jim Cameron is the Baptist church's summer missionary.
Major Themes & Motifs The major themes and motifs of Blu's Hanging are centered around Ivah and her family members' adjustment and coming to terms with the death of their mother. Through the various themes and motifs, the reader sees how various characters process and accept grief, and the troubles and issues which confront them along the way.
Grief: From the very first chapter of the novel, the reader encounters the Ogatas in their moment of deepest and most unconstrained grief. This feeling encompasses the entire book. Poppy's sadness is translated through his repeated singings of "Moon River", whose whimsical lyrics take on a haunting and troublesome edge when Ivah confesses that "I know where he wants to go," and "And who the dreammaker is".Lois Ann Yamanaka, Blu's Hanging, New York: Harper's Perennial,1997, 3 Her brother Blu eats to control his grief, "eating away all the sadness until he's so full that he feels numb and sleepy".Yamanaka, Blu's Hanging, 105 Finally, her sister Maisie, turns inward. As a young child, her expression of grief is more physical. The fear and insecurity she feels after her mother's death is demonstrated through her refusal to say more than a handful of words and in the frequency which she wets her panties.