An Analysis Of Kabuo's Snow Falling On Cedars

Off the west coast of the United States, a population of five thousand people, call San Piedro their home. Within San Piedro, the small village of Amity Harbor harbors the citizens of the novel, whose attitudes towards each other direct the plot of the story. Here, the main protagonist, Kabuo, solemnly awaits the outcome of his trail. Throughout the trail, a heavy, unexpected snowstorm blankets the town, along with the sins and mistreatments committed by the citizens. Author Michael Harris, believing the storm forces the citizens to reexamine the past, states, “The ordeal of the storm, coupled with the shock of Heine’s death, forces them to confront the past and cracks the ice of their reserve” (Harris). All the hatred toward Asian Americans is revived when the citizens of Amity Harbor forcefully sit through the three-day trial of Kabuo Miyamoto, a man falsely accused of killing his white …show more content…
Throughout Snow Falling on Cedars, flashbacks of the main characters aid the reader in viewing the mistreatments and injustices Asian Americans and other minorities faced, culminating to the end of the trail, where Kabuo's attorney, Nels Gudmundsson, pleads, “Human beings must act on