Chapters 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 Summary

The narrative turns once again to the present and Mr. Barker and his new young wife have come to call on Aunt Obasan to extend their condolences over the death of Uncle Isamu. The meeting is awkward, at best, especially since Aunt Obasan cannot hear any of the conversation and Naomi is forced to carry the social load. Naomi takes offense to the Barkers' comments such as "It was a terrible business what we did to our Japanese," "My daughter has a darling Japanese friend," and "Have you ever been back to Japan?" Naomi has adopted Aunt Emily's zeal for being called a Canadian and bristles at these slights yet Aunt Obasan still putters around in her nearly silent world and serves the visitors tea.

Later in the evening, Nakayama-sensei arrives at the same time as Stephen and Aunt Emily. Nakayama-sensei...