| dc.description.abstract | This thesis consists of an analysis of two Japanese picture books about death of a loved one during the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, 2011. I apply a broad theoretical framework to place the picture books within a larger literary and cultural context. These books deal with a topic that is doubly traumatic: the trauma of a sudden natural catastrophe is entangled with the death of a loved one. My thesis investigates how the creators of the picture books make the topic accessible for children, how these narrative and artistic choices affect the stories being told, and what tropes and themes they have in common. Mother’s Lullaby (Kaasan no komoriuta), written by Konno Hitomi and illustrated by Imoto Yōko, follows three bear siblings after the death of their mother. Konno and Hitomi create distance between the story and the events of 3.11, which gives the reader more space to process complex and difficult emotions. It also makes the book more accessible to a larger audience, and makes it possible to include a narrative that discusses guilt and responsibility as a counterpoint to the story of the grieving bears. Sunflower Hill (Himawari no oka), written by Hakata Tan and illustrated by Matsunari Mariko, presents the reader with a group of mothers whose children have died in the tsunami. In the aftermath of the disaster, the mothers decide to grow sunflowers at a hill close to the place where their children died. This creates both a memorial and a signpost for any other disasters. Hakata Tan’s documentary-like text is offset by Matsunari Mariko’s childlike, and then liminal, pictures, creating a space where the living and dead can coexist. While the two books approach the themes of grief and trauma in very different ways artistically, they both deal with several of the same themes in similar ways, from their depiction of mothers to their treatment of religion. Both books also balance a need for distance from the details of the disaster with a need for authenticity. | eng |