APLiteratureandComposition:MajorWorksDataSheetDontforgettocitesourcescorrectly!

TitleofWork:SnowFallingonCedars Characteristicsofthegenre:
There is a mixture of real and fictional events. Significant
Author:DavidGuterson historical events are historically accurate, but minor events and/or
characters may be added or modified.
DateofPublication:1995 Characters are involved in a conflict or problem that is real (or
mirrors life) for that time period
Genre:novel,historicalfiction,bildungsroman,courtroomdrama Uses descriptive writing that digs into characters making them
interesting
Pointofview:3rdpersonomniscient Intriguing plot that creates some sort of suspense
Plot makes sense and has a solution.
Historically authentic setting that sets the tone for the story
Is in a real place and a definite period of time in history
Briefbiographicalsketchoftheauthor Describethesetting(s)
David Guterson, a high school teacher, acknowledges that a Set on San Piedro Island, a fictional island in Puget Sound in
few of his early short stories owe a debt to the basic, Washington
naturalistic style of Raymond Carver Winters are harsh
the Pacific Northwest is the setting for most of his stories Sea village, many of the men are fishermen
Works contain detailed descriptions of vast landscapes or Also, lots of strawberry fields
intimate interiors Isolated
the single flashback Winter mainly locals, summer brings tourists and vacationers
characteristic extended, meticulous research Large Japanese-American population
Guterson acknowledges Harper Lee's To Kill a Lots of islanders are of Scandinavian descent
Mockingbird as a thematic influence for SFOC
believes that his role is to create fiction which addresses A gray green stillness settled into things, and the summer people left for their city
human needs and sustains the culture's themes and central homes again: soft overcast, night fog, low mists in the dips between hills, road mud,
myths vacant beaches, empty clamshells scattered among rocks, silent shops folded in on
themselves. Pg. 174
Read more: David Guterson Biography - Novel, Kabuo,
Snow, and Island - JRank Articles

http://biography.jrank.org/pages/4389/Guterson-David.ht
ml#ixzz4dC5OwJyK
BriefPlotsummary
December 6, 1954, one day before the thirteenth anniversary of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
Set on San Piedro Island, a fictional island in Puget Sound in Washington
A local Japanese-American fisherman, Kabuo Miyamoto, is on trial for murdering another fisherman, Carl Heine, Jr
The local report Ishmael Chambers, a former lover of Kabuos wife, discovers information that can absolve Kabuo of the crime, but his lingering love of Hatsue makes him
hesitant to reveal the information.
Hatsue and Ishmael, in the years before the war came between them, had dug clams together, picked strawberries in San Piedro's verdant fields, and passed long hours in the
secrecy of a giant hollow cedar tree. Now, as a heavy snowfall surrounds and impedes the progress of Kabuo Miayomoto's trial, they and the other participants must come to a
reckoning with the past, with culture, nature, and love, and with the possibilities of the human will (Google Books).

ProminentThemeTopics Giveanexampleofhoweachthemeisshownandaquotethatreflectsthattheme

Destructiveeffectsofracialprejudice Destructiveeffectsofracialprejudice(Matthew,Kaytie,andShyanne)

Guilt
Guilt(KatiandKameron)
Hatsuesguiltfordatingishmael-sheunderstoodwhatshehadlongsoughttounderstand,
Fate thatsheconcealedherloveforIshmaelChambersnotbecauseshewasJapaneseinherheart
butbecauseshecouldnotintruthprofesstotheworldthatwhatshefeltforhimwasloveat
all.
Loveandloss CarlsguiltoverconcealingfromothersthefriendshipheandKabuoonceshared-...andyou
knowwhatelse,Kabuo?Istillgotyourbamboofishingrod.Ikeptitalltheseyears.Ihiditin
thebarnaftermymothertriedtomakemegoandreturnitovertoyourhouse.Youwentoffto
prisoncamp,Icaughtamessofsearuns.Damnthingsstillinmycloset.

Fate(HeatherandChicora)
ManytimesinhisnovelGutersonemphasizesthethemeoffateandfreewill.Hedoesthisby
blatantlypointingouttheuncontrollableforcesinthelivesoftheislanders,suchasallthe
accidentsthatoccurduetothesnowstorm,andeventhetruthofthedeathofCarlHeine.
Perhapsitwasnowhisfatetopayfortheliveshehadtakeninanger.impermanence,cause
andeffect,suffering,desire,thepreciousnatureoflife.pg.169
ThisquoteshowsKabuosbeliefthathisbadluck(fate)iskarma.Hebelieveshedeservedtosit
inthejailcellforhiskillinginthewar,andalthoughhedidntwantto,hebelieveditcouldbe
fateleadinghimtolivetherestofhislifeinprisonandheacceptedit.Asforfreewill,Ishmael
wasresponsibleforfreeingKabuowiththeinformationhefoundinthelighthouse,buthe
almostdidntrevealtheinformationinhopesofreunitingwithHatsue.



Loveandloss(Sellers)
None of those other things makes a difference. Love is the strongest thing in the world, you know. Nothing can
touch it. Nothing comes close. If we love each other we're safe from it all. Love is the biggest thing there is. Ishmael
to Hatsue in the cedar tree
But ten years was not really such a long time at all, and how was he to leave his passion behind when it went on
living its own independent life, as tangible as the phantom limb he'd refused for so long to have denervated?
Ishamel thinking about the Judges instructions to the jury

LiteraryTechniquesUsed
Selectatleastthreefromthefollowinglist:
FigurativeLanguage(metaphor,simile,
hyperbole,metonymy,personification,
understatement,synecdoche,apostrophe,
connotation(wordchoice)/denotation)
Voice,persona,satire,irony(dramatic,
verbal,situational)
Keyimagery,deliberate
contrast/comparison,analogy,symbolism,
stereotype,archetype
Style,sentencepattern,tone,mood,
atmosphere,ambiance
Allusion(historical,literary,social-political,
mythological,biblical,etc.)
Foreshadowing,flashback,flash-forward,
stream-of-consciousness
These two quotes epitomize the oscillation between love and loss the occurs throughout the book in regards to the
relationship between Hatsue and Ishmael. Although Hatsue comes to terms with the loss early on and reconciles the
fact the she and Ishmael can not be together, Ishamel holds on the the illusion even after returning from the war.
Kabuos trial stirs all his old emotions--resentment, passion, angst, love--and forces him to face his demons thus
ultimately finding some peace within himself.
Personification(Kaytie)
Metaphor(Shyanne)
connotation(wordchoice)(kati)
Connotationisusedtocreateadoublemeaningand/orsubcontext,thisisexhibitedoftenwhen
GutersonmentionsthecedartreewhereIshmaelandHatsuemeetasteenagers.Itsoften
describedasaplacehiddenfromtheworld,withwordssuchaslolledandsquattingGuterson
usesthisconnotationtotransformtheadultsintochildrenhidingfromtheworld.
Mood(Kameron)
ThemoodofSFoCissetbytheever-changingenvironmentofthenovelssettings.Generally,as
isexpectedwithmood,thisenvironmentreflectstheinnerstrugglesandemotionalturmoils
experiencednotonlybythemaincharacter,Ishmael,butalsobytheinhabitantsofSanPiedro
asKabuostrialbecomesmoreexciting.Theoverallmoodofthepoemiscoldandrestless:The
destructivesnowstormsandthefogthatalwaysseemstolingeramongstthepeoplesofthe
islandreflecttheunspokenhatredharboredbytheislanders;ahatrednotneverconfronted,
neversatisfied,alwayspresent.Thoughthesnowfallshardandthewindslamsagainstthe
courthouseandthemisthangslowovertheislandersformostofthestory,therearetimes
whenthemoodbecomesbrighter,morehopeful,fulloflifelikeacoolspringrainandalight
theshinessoftlythroughthebarkofahollowedcedartree.Thishopereflectsthefewtimes
whenitseemstheprejudiceandhatredcouldcease,ifevenbetweentwoindividuals.Moodin
thisnovelisperhapsoneofthemostsignificanttechniquesusedtoconveythethemesof
racism,loss,andlovepresentthroughoutitspagesasitusescreatesapalpableimageofthe
innerfeelingsoftheislanders.
Allusionliterary(Heather)-TherelationtoIshmaelwithIshmael,thenarratorofHerman
MelvillesMobyDick,revealsmuchabouthischaracter.Bothoftheliterarycharacterssat
backandwatchedthepeoplearoundthembeingaffectedbyuncontrollableforces(war,
prejudice,andthestorm).But,italsoemphasizesthecontrastbetweenthecharactersand
howIshmaellearnstoaccepthisfateandgainsthecouragetomaketherightchoice
affectingotherpeopleslives.
 Foreshadowing(Chicora)-Foreshadowingisusedtocreatesuspensewithinastory.Thesnowstorm
servesthepurposeofinconspicuouslyincreasingasthenovelprogresseshintingtotheclimaxofthe
story.Asthetrialcontinuesthestormtendstogetgraduallyworsehintingtowardsfurtherclimaxes.

Flashback(Matthew)IshmaelistrainingtobeamarineriflemaninSouthCarolina,butgetssickand
ishospitalizedforelevendays.HerecallsreceivingHatsuesletterfivemonthsagoandwishesthat
hewasinthisconditionwhenhereceivedit.Chapter16(pg.233-234)

Linktoproseanalysiswithadditionalliterarytechniquesdiscussed


SymbolismLinktoquotesaboutsymbolism

MemorableLines
Quotation(andspeaker)
Nolawcompelledthemtotakeonlytheserearseats.Theyhaddone
soinsteadbecauseSanPiedrorequireditofthemwithoutcallingita
law.pg.75
Chicora
Thirty-nineJapaneseworkedatthePortJeffersonmill,butthecensus
takerneglectedtolistthembyname,referringinsteadtoJapNumber
1,JapNumber2,JapNumber3,JapanCharlie,OldJapSam,Laughing
Jap,DwarfJap,Chippy,Boots,andStumpynamesofthissortinstead
ofrealnames.(pg.75)
Heather
Significance
ThisquoteshowstheimpliedracismthattheJapanesefaced.Althoughit
wasntsaidoutright(law)theinferiorityispresentandknownamongthe
island.Prejudiceshavebeenoccurringforsolongitappearsnormalandis
nowimplied.Showshowtheislandisstuckintheoldworldofthings.
Thisquotecapturestheextenttowhichtheprejudicehadrisenonthe
island.ItillustratesthedirectdiscriminationthattheJapanesepeople
experiencedintheareaandintheirworkplacesandallowsthereaderto
seetheembarrassmentthatthecitizensoftheislanddealtwithsimply
becauseoftheirheritageorhomecountry.

IamlikeatravelerdescendedfromMarswholooksdownin
astonishmentatwhatpasseshere.AndwhatIseeisthesamehuman
frailtypassedfromgenerationtogeneration.-NelsGudmundsson
Kameron
Theyhadpassedautumnafternoonswhentheywerenineyearsoldin
thehollowedoutbaseofacedartree,wheretheysprawledonthe
groundlookingoutattherainasitpummeledtheswordfernsandivy.
Atschooltheywerestrangersforreasonsuncleartohim,thoughatthe
sametimeheunderstoodithadtobethatwaybecauseshewas
Japaneseandhewasnt.(pg.98)
Matthew
Thisquoteencapsulatesthenovelsmostprevalentthemesofracism,fear,
guiltandlossasNelsrelatestothecourtroomofSanPiedrosislandershis
experiencewiththeinevitableyetillogicalhatethathumansharboragainst
oneanother.Allofthisprejudice,whilefamiliartohim,alienateshimfrom
therestofsociety.
Thisquoteillustratesthesymbolismofthecedartreeasprotectionfrom
theoutsideworldanditsnegativeimpact.Whentheywereoutsideofit(at
school)thingsweredifferentbecausetheyweretwopeoplefromdifferent
culturesandthetownexpectedthemtoseparate.Thetreeinthisquote
shieldedthemfromtheracismofsociety.


Kaytie

Hewasalwaysnodding,thoughtEtta.Itwashowtheygotthebetter
ofyou-theyactedsmall,thoughtbig.Nod,saynothing,keeptheir
facesturneddown;itwashowtheygotthinglikehersevenacres.
Kati
Shyanne
Thisquoteharshlyresemblestheconflictofracisminthemid19thcentury
ofthewhitepopulationtowardtheJapaneseAmericans,inthisquoteits
clearthatalthoughZenichiistryingtoberespectful,Ettaisstilloffended
byhisexistence,notthefactthatshewillloseherlandbutthatshewill
loseittohim.

(Matthew)Whatisthesignificanceoftheopeningscene?
- Theopeningsceneestablishesthesettingandcontextofthe
story.Itcreatesasenseofcuriosityinthereaderbecauseyou
aredroppedintothistrialandhavenobackground.Itmakesthe
trialseemsluggishliketheradiatorsintheroomasitdescribes
adefendantthatseemsunmovedbyanythinginthecourtroom,
(whichmakesyouwonderabouthisinnocence)insteadheis
focusedonthesnow(asymbolthroughoutthebook)falling
outside.Anditcreatesasenseofcommunitywithinthetrial
becausealmosteveryonethereknewthevictim.More
importantly,itestablishesafeelingofmysterybecauseitleaves
youwithmorequestionsthananswers.
Whatisthesignificanceoftheending/closingscene?(Heather)
- TheclosingscenesymbolizestheacceptancethatIshmael
discoversinsidehimself,itshowsthatIshmaelchosetosee
hissituationinclearlightandrealizethatnoteverythingis
hisfaultandnoteverythingcanbechanged.Bystatingthat
accidentruledeverycorneroftheuniverseexceptthe
chambersofthehumanheart,heissayingthatwhata
personfeelsinsidetheirheartisnotaccidental,yetcannot
becontrolled.Gutersonusesthecharactersownnameto
makeIshmaelplacehisownselfdirectlyintheclosing.The
closingalsoreflectsthethemesofloveandfree-willand
statesthatwhileapersoncantcontroleverythinginlife,
theydecidehowtheyrespondanditistheirresponsibilityto
choosetherightthing.

Sellers IshmaelfindsHatsuesletterafterdiggingthroughhisoldthingsat
[Ishmael] listened to the world turned silent by the snow; there was hismothershouseandrereadsit;itisatthispointheacceptsthe
absolutely nothing to hear. The silence of the world roared steadily in his factthatasNickCarrawaywouldsay,Youcantrepeatthepast.
ears while he came to recognize that he did not belong here, he had no place HerealizesthatHatsuehadmovedonandthathemustletgoofthe
in the tree any longer. Some much younger people should find this tree, hold ghostofamemorythatholdshiminthepastandcontinuestochain
to it tightly as their deepest secret as he and Hatsue had. For them it might himtoresentment.Heleaveshismothershouseandgoestothe
stave off what he could not help but see with clarity: that the world was silent ImadaswherehetellsHatsueoftheinformationthathehas
and cold and bare and that in this lay its terrible beauty. discoveredthatcanabsolveKabuoofthemurderofCarlHeineJr.

MajorCharacters
Charactersname Role(whatroledoesthisperson Significance(whyisthischaracterCharactertraits(whatsortofpersonis
haveinthestory?) significanttothestory?) this?)

Ishmael(Shyanne) IshmaelChambersisthelocal Heissignificantbecausehehada Ishmaelisnaiveinthathebelievesfacts
journalistwhoinheritedthe relationshipwithHatsuewhenhewas
areallthatneedtobepresentedin
newspaperfromhisfather.He younger.Assomeonewhoknows orderforjusticetoworkitselfout.He
knowsbothKabuoandHatsue. Kabuopersonally,hedoesnotthinkdoesnotlikepeople.Warmadehim
heisguiltysimplybasedonrace.realizehowsmallthingsmostpeople
worryandcomplainaboutdontreally
matter.
Kabuoisalocalfishermanwho Kabuoisontrialasasuspectfor Heisseriousandchoosestodistance
Kabuo(Kaytie) wasfriendswithCarlasakid.He killingCarlHeineJr.Hissignificance himselffrompeopleduringthecase.His
hastodealwithracismduetothe comesfromthefactheisJapanese, culturetaughthimtositwithagood
factheisJapanese.WWIIrecently andWWIIjustended.Also,theway postureandseriousfacialexpression,
ended,whichmakesracism Carlwasmurderedisassociatedwith whichmakeshimlookguiltytothe
againsttheJapanesemore Japaneseculture. Americanpeople.Kabuobelieveshe
abundant. deservestobefoundguiltybecauseof
allthepeoplehekilledduringthewar.
Hatsueisthewifetheofthe Hatsuessignificanceistoexhibitthe Hatsueissecretivetoeveryone,hiding
Hatsue(Kati) defendantKabuo.Sheisalsothe hardshipsofjapaneseheritagein herinnerrebelliouschaosbyprovidinga
pastloveinterestofIshmaeland AmericaduringWorldWar2andthe outwardappearanceoftranquility.She
thereasonheissocrazy. societaloppositiontowardinterracial isdeterminedinherroleasawife,
relationships. visitingherhusbandinjaileverydayand
continuingtocareforthehouseand
children.
CarlHeineJr. CarlwasbestfriendswithKabuo Carlisthecatalystofthenovel.His Carlisasolitaryperson.Eversincehis
(Kameron) whenthetwowereyounger,and deathsetsintomotionachainof friendKabuowassenttoaninternment
whileheisnotonclosetermswith eventsthatreignitestheflamesof campandhehimselfwassenttofightin
anyone,heisknownbyalmost prejudicethathaveplaguedthe thewar,Carlhasneverbeenonetoseek
everyoneinthecommunity.Heis communityofSanPiedroeversince companionship,anditisassumedthat
theJapanesebegantoshowuponthe heinheritedadistrustandaccusatory
 thehusbandofSusanMarie,for
whomhisboatisnamedafter.
Mrs.Shigemura Hatsuesmothersendshertothis
(minorcharacter) womantolearnhowtobea
Japanesewoman.Shelearnsthat
herhairisthesalientfeatureof
herphysicalbeingandthatshe
shouldplayitlovinglylikea
stringedinstrument.
island.Thereactionoftheislanders, attitudetowardsJapanese.Notevenin
thetrialforKabuoMiyamoto,andthe hiswifedoesheconfidehisemotions
memoriesbroughttolightatthe andthoughts,andbecauseofthisnoone
resultofhisdeathprovidethemain trulyknewthekindofpersonthatCarl
themesofracism,guilt,loveandloss. Heineis.Inhisfinalconfrontationwith
Kabuo,however,Carlshowsthathestill
caresforhisoldfriendanddoesnot
trulybearanyillwilltowardsthe
Japanese.
ShigemuraforcesHatsuetowrestle Stern,strict,embracedallthings
withherinnerconflictsandreconcile Japanese,protectorofJapaneseculture
theminordertoattaintheinner andhistory
tranquilityoftheJapanesewoman.
ShetaughtHatsuehowtoquellthe
turbulenceofheregoandhowto
experienceharmonyinthemidstof
unrest.