"Snow Falling on Cedars"

Paper Summary:

David Guterson?s "Snow Falling on Cedars" examines the shaky relationships between Japanese-American islanders and whites in the story?s setting of Amity Harbor. The paper shows how far some people are willing to go outside the norm when dealing with people from different races and the consequences of these actions. The paper shows that interracial relationships prove to be hypocritical in the novel, as the Japanese-Americans and whites seem to be friendly to one another in normal situations, but in times of war and during a murder trial, they are torn apart and suspicious of one another.

From the Paper:

"Hatsue's mentor, Mrs. Shigemura, teaches Hatsue what Japanese girls had always been taught - to stay away from white men because they are sex-driven, and to only marry a Japanese man "whose heart is strong and good" (84). In their final time together, hidden away in the cedar tree hideaway they have had for years, Hatsue decides it does not feel right to be with Ishmael. Regardless of this, her mother finds out the secret relationship that exists between her and Ishmael. Reacting like any parent of the time would at the news of an interracial relationship, Fujiko Imada demands her daughter never again speak to or see the white boy. One can only think that without the influence of Mrs. Shigemura and the general attitudes towards interracial relationships, she would have never come to this conclusion."

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