Power structures and the resultant abjection of their victims in Joy Obasan's Obasan are illuminated by using Julia Kristeva's Powers of Horror as a guide. Kristeva's book demystifies feminine abjection and the taboos surrounding the female body. In Obasan, these feminine taboos are present in both the white "mainstream" Canadian culture and that of the Japanese-Canadians. The book rejects the repugnance for the female body and its uncontrollable secretions, especially through the character Emily. The power structures are upheld by collating the metaphorical with the literal, so that, for example, breaking the law can be equated with committing a sin. The Canadian government uses power in this way to subject the Japanese-Canadians to a state of poverty and enforced migration.
