November 4, 2016 - 15:20
In Ruth Ozeki’s, “All Over Creation,” she presents the intersection between individual’s identity and the environment. Oozes presents this idea through Yumi’s “exoticness” in her own hometown, whether it was when she was still a child, or when she visits many years later as an adult.
Yumi’s and her family has lived in Idaho for more than 50 years, however, their presence never seems to fit into the community. Especially for Momoko, Yumi’s mother, and Yumi, who are two of the only culturally and racially diverse people in the town. In the opening of the book, Yumi narrates, “Thats what it felt like when I was growing up, like I was a random fruit in a field of genetically identical potatoes” (Ozeki, 4). Yumi grew up in a community full of people who are so different from herself. As she said in the quote, she felt like a “random fruit,” the odd and different one in a group. Whether it was her skin, her behaviors, her family, and even the food she brings to school for lunch. Being half Asian impacted Yumi’s childhood, in a way where she can’t even fit in to a place she identifies as her “home” without being judged and exotified. Since her childhood, she has always been surrounded by these subconscious judgements and exotification of her body and race. In the school play, “Yummy was always the Indian princess, even in first grade, when everybody else in their class was still playing gravy” (Ozeki, 6). Years later, when she was older, she fell in love with her teacher, Eliot Rhodes. “He reached up, traced the slant of your eye with his thumb. . .” (Ozeki, 21). Because of these “exotic” traits that Yumi possessed, she received these special attention that objectifies her race and identity as an Asian American.
Years later, when Yumi revisits Idaho with her children, she is still looked at as “different” and “exotic” compared to the rest of the Idaho population. When Cass picked Yumi up at the airport, she observed that, “Her skin had relaxed about the eyes and cheeks, but her face was burnished by the sun. The people around her—dull, soft-bodied, and white—seemed to squint when they caught sight of her, she was just that bright” (Ozeki, 59). She wore “cropped pants and long, loose coat” (Ozeki, 59), it was “outrageously tropical among the massing Polypill parkas that eddied around her like lumpy clouds” (Ozeki, 60). After so many years, Yumi’s identity may have changed, in ways where she has become more mature, maybe even slightly darker toned than she was before. However, all of these features still portrays her as an outsider of this town. Her exoticness confused people, her outfit didn’t match the stereotypical outfit you would see in this town.
The exotification of Asian Americans was heavily presented in Ozeki’s novel. She portrays Yumi’s character as “different” among all the other characters. Yumi stands out wherever she goes. By now this is a norm to her, it was normal for her to feel different, and exotic. I believe Ozeki brings up this issue to seek for awareness; exotification of Asian Americans or Asians, more generally, is still a present problem that people should be aware of.