The story, 'Snow Falling On Cedars,' is unveiled through regular flashbacks from the perspective of both minor and major characters. Guterson has structured the novel in such a way that once characters are introduced, described and portrayed in public circumstances, they are further developed through flashbacks of memory and thought.
Characters such as Ishmael Chambers, Carl Heine and Hatsue Miyamoto become well-rounded as Guterson's third-person narrative unveils them.The way the characters are viewed from so many perspectives is a key element in making the novel so vivid, detailed and heartbreakingly believable. The characters in the novel are well - rounded and the major themes, though there are many, are easily grasped because of the complex structures and changing perspectives. The plot is a captivating 'whodunit,' but what is most interesting about the book are the characters.
From Ishmael, a man who suffers from the scars of love and war, to the proud and beautiful Hatsue, the reader is presented with a spectrum of complex and realistic characters; some heroic, some villainous but most are somewhere in between.At the centre of the novel is Ishmael Chambers, haunted by the trauma of his past. Guterson reveals that the local newspaperman once had a relationship with Hatsue. We learn that these two kept their love for each other secret in light of prevailing sentiments by other parents and there is a strong suggestion that both families do not approve of the interracial romance.
The abundant use of flashbacks is evident in Guterson's portrayal of Ishmael. Much is learned about Ishmael's character not only through his thoughts and decisions throughout the court hearing, but also vivid memories of his childhood. The use of regular flashbacks is effective in Ishmael being presented sympathetically and the reader sees him as a man who has been through heartbreak, war, loss and who once was young and full of hope."Some times at night he would squeeze his eyes shut and imagine how it might be to marry her."The above gives an example of how Ishmael was full of hope; and yet this would never be reality - this idea did not seem so farfetched in his head but in the latter stages we Guterson makes us realize that; "This can't go on." Again, Guterson has successfully built up our emotions for Ishmael as we learn that he is indeed heartbroken.
On the other hand, the adult Ishmael is far less inspiring and is seen far less sympathetically when he stands alone, outside of his memories. An example of Ishmael's negative change of character is seen in the change in his views. He changes from he young boy who told Hatsue that the "Ocean goes on forever" to the bitter adult who, like his father, "loves humankind" but mostly "dislikes human beings."However, we realize that the novel's main conflict is that Ishmael must overcome his cynicism and disillusionment to help the woman who caused his resentment. He must accept that life is not always fair, but that there are aspects of life that do not need to be left to chance; but his reply to Hatsue, or anyone else for that matter, is not to expect fairness. This stems from his resentment of Hatsue and is a veiled reference to her rejection of him - essentially, Ishmael is presented as being disillusioned and disappointed because he thinks there is unfairness and injustice in the world.
"I'm talking about people . . . who can do things because they run newspapers or arrest people or convict them or decide about their lives.
People don't have to be unfair, do they?"She may still feel some guilt over rejecting Ishmael, but she insists that people do have the power to intervene against chance. Specifically, Hatsue means that Ishmael has the power to affect the future if he chooses to be brave, kind, and mature enough. Ishmael knows that Hatsue is right but has no response to her pleas.As well as this, he insists that facts, and facts alone, should decide the fate of others; he is obsessed; "Facts you can cling to; emotions just float away." He insists that his job as a reporter, is all about uncovering the truth.
Not until the end does Guterson make the reader realize that what Ishmael understands what his father meant by arguing that, "journalism is making choices." Having been presented a rather sympathetic view of Ishmael the onlooker sees that when Ishmael makes these choices; to give up Hatsue and to embrace his father's values; Ishmael becomes a better character for it.Moving on, though he is dead, Carl Heine is a major character in the novel. He embodies both the best and worst aspects of the whole community on San Piedro.
Guterson portrays Carl as a physically strong, hardworking man; Carl is San Piedro's ideal citizen. He toils for his family's welfare, keeps to himself, and ha largely put the trauma of the war behind him. In these respects, Carl is superior to Ishmael and the respect that Guterson builds up is essential as we feel more empathy for Carl - "the deceased."Guterson shows us that Heine was perhaps a person unwilling to associate himself with others, though a polite side does come through; he was keeping himself to his own.
Guterson implies that Heine was a man that was harmless and that his murder seemed totally unnecessary. This builds up the readers' empathy for the character and enhances our feelings towards Carl and perhaps makes us more eager to discover the person who committed the crime. Moreover, it builds up a negative feeling towards Kabuo, who is the accused.Carl is a character that is deliberately presented as, "..
.blunt, tidy, gruffly and respectable." This respect is further justified in the way that fishermen Carl due to his expertise in fishing so that they could net fish as well as he did. Moreover, Guterson describes Carl as being a, "straightforward" man with an "exacting nature." These characteristics of a stereotypical German and raises our sympathy towards him as we learn that he would never do anything over the top - he was just a hardworking and efficient man; that's all.
However, we do learn that Carl was a slightly ambitious person; "He wanted inglenooks, and an over scaled fireplace." Once again, this increases the sympathy we feel for Carl, as we understand that this rather simple character did actually have aspirations.Fundamentally, Carl's importance to the narrative extends beyond his contradictions and when Carl agrees to sell the seven acres of land to Kabuo, he becomes the first of the novel's major characters to find the strength to put the past behind him. It is ironic, therefore that almost immediately after Carl affirms the power of individual morality, he is killed by the most impersonal of forces; chance.
Here Guterson has presented Carl in such a way that has successfully evoked our feelings of empathy towards him.In conclusion, some of the main ideas that are presented in the novel, such as war being a destructive, character-altering experience, the way prejudice effects people, and the power of love and hate are all portrayed through the many perspectives and characters who are effected by the same events and issues; and the way that Guterson has presented these characters in the novel has resulted apparent success that it deserves.
