Essay On Snow Falling On Cedars

What would you do if you were persecuted for your ancestry? Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson is the post-war story of Kabuo Miyamoto’s trial for murdering a white man and his struggle to prove his innocence as an American despite having a Japanese appearance. In Snow Falling On Cedars, Guterson is significantly accurate in recounting battles from World War II, the prejudice that Japanese-Americans faced in the United States after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, as well as the Japanese culture that thrived on the west coast. Firstly, David Guterson accurately recounts battles from World War II. To begin, Guterson briefly describes the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In the book, he describes that the Japanese air force has bombed everything and that Roosevelt is going to declare war the following day (Guterson, 1994). On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They managed to destroy nearly 20 naval vessels, including 8 giant battleships, and more than 300 American fighter planes. The following day President Roosevelt received approval from Congress to declare war on Japan …show more content…
The significant accuracy is evident in the extent of casualties of Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Okinawa as well as in the widespread arrest and confinement of Japanese-Americans into internment camps as a result of these battles. Additionally, it is also culturally accurate in the practice of kendo, hard labor, and the picture bride system of the Japanese people. Overall, this novel explores one of the unspoken shames of American history: the struggle of Japanese-Americans to live in a society that was once home but became a prison of discrimination during