Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - English Snow Falling On Cedars Snow Falling On Cedars When the leaves pile up, it creates a dense, and heavy load that only disperses after the climatic events of a storm. In the novel, Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson, Kabuo, a Japanese fisherman, is on trial for the murder of a caucasian fisherman. There is much racism on the small island of San Piedro between its Japanese and American inhabitants and the trial makes that evident. There is a snowstorm throughout the trial and the snow that continues to pile up represents the tension that is building up in the courtroom between the two cultures and it’s people. The snow falling outside the courtroom is accumulating and the events that are progressing within the courtroom is creating a mounting tension. Everyone inside the courtroom is listening and watching in anticipation of the events that are unfolding before them and "outside, the wind is blowing steadily from the North, driving snow against the courthouse." (pg.170) The anticipation is parallel to the wind-driven snow: both create a hectic and strained feeling. This strain is piling upon one another, which creates a great deal of tension between the accused murderer and the audience in the courtroom. While the tension is building up, the snow outside continues to fall, driving itself against the courthouse. The snow that is pounding against the courthouse is much like the pounding of one’s heart when they feel anxiety: both are expectant and warning of the climatic event that will soon occur. Tension and anxiety can obstruct one’s ability to obtain an open mind, and that is what possibly could happen to the jurors. "They looked out into the whiteness of the world and the wind flung sharply at their narrowed eyes and foreshortened their view of everything." (pg.170) When there is tension, one’s view of the truth can be truncated. The strain can cause one to stubbornly adhere to their opinion and decision. This can cause the verdict to be very biased and could cause the jury’s discussion of the verdict to be one sided and unfair. Snow, like tension and stress, can obscure one’s sight of what is in front of them which could result in one making the wrong decisions and leading themselves into the wrong directions. This could be dangerous because they can’t see what is ahead but they believe that the destination ahead is where they want to go. However, when they realize that they are not going in the right direction, they become lost and the right direction becomes unclear. And when they search for a way back, they find that "the snow blurred from the vision the clean contours of the cedar hills" (pg.5) The cedars represent the truth and the reality of the case and the point where everyone stood before the tension started to rise. It stands for the unbiased opinion and the snow that covers it blurs the view of the cedars. The tension and strain can obscure the vision of the truth and create biased opinions within the courtroom among the audience. Ishmael Chambers observes this as "he sat facing the wind-driven snowfall, which had already begun to mute the streets outside the courthouse." (pg.8) The wind-driven snowfall is similar to what’s happening inside the courtroom: while the snow is mounting, so is the tension and both are waiting for the climatic event and it’s outcome. Ishamael is a reporter who is watching the people within the courtroom throughout the entire trial. He observes the reactions from the audience and he sees that the tension is causing the truth and the evidence to become distorted and unclear. The people of San Piedro are interpreting the evidence in their own way and they find that they have picked a side to support. After the height of a storm, the accumulating tension, like the snowfall, which piles upon one another, will dissipate. The events that occur within the courtroom create a strained feeling throughout the trial. The strain continues to increase until the climatic events of the verdict occur and the tension is released. These events are much like a snowstorm: the wind-driven snow continues to pile up and after the height of a storm, it calms and eventually, the snow will melt and the cycle will continue once again when the first snowfall starts falling on the cedars. Bibliography: Word Count: 726
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