Snow Falling on Cedars

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Guterson uses the snowstorm as both a literal backdrop and metaphorical element. What impact did this technique have on your experience of the novel? Readers of Guterson’s East of the Mountains might compare his treatment of nature and landscape between the works.

2. The novel alternates between present-day trial scenes and flashbacks to various characters’ pasts. Did this narrative structure enhance or detract from your understanding of the characters’ motivations? This technique feels reminiscent of novels like William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, where multiple perspectives illuminate a central event.

3. By the novel’s conclusion, did you feel that justice was truly served? How does the novel define justice? Do different characters define it differently?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. When have you struggled with letting go of past relationships or situations as Ishmael does with his feelings for Hatsue?

2. What places or possessions in your life hold significant emotional or symbolic value beyond their economic worth, similar to the seven acres of strawberry land for the Miyamoto family?

3. The characters in the novel must frequently weigh personal feelings against moral choices. Describe a time when your own sense of justice compelled you to act against your immediate self-interest.

4. In what ways have major historical events shaped your family’s history or identity across generations, similar to how World War II impacted the characters?

5. Many characters in the novel wear masks of stoicism to hide their true feelings. When have you found yourself hiding your emotions to conform to cultural or social expectations?

6. The cedar tree serves as a sanctuary for Ishmael and Hatsue’s forbidden relationship. What private spaces have provided you with comfort or safety during difficult times in your life?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What aspects of the Japanese American internment as portrayed in the novel were most surprising or impactful to you?

2. What parallels do you see between the racial dynamics in post-WWII San Piedro Island and contemporary social issues in your own community?

3. The islanders’ livelihoods (strawberry farming, fishing, journalism) are deeply connected to their identities. How do economic forces shape social structures and power dynamics in the novel?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What purpose does the isolated island setting serve in developing the novel’s themes and building tension?

2. How do physical barriers such as the hollow cedar tree, the internment camp fences, the island’s geography, and the courtroom itself work as symbols? 

3. What is the relationship between Ishmael’s physical wound (the loss of his arm) and his emotional wounds?

4. The novel explores multiple forms of justice: legal, moral, and karmic. Which conception of justice ultimately prevails in the narrative?

5. How does Guterson use fog and snow to represent the obscuring of truth throughout the novel?

6. Kabuo believes his trial is a form of karma for the lives he took during the war. How does this perspective reflect the novel’s exploration of guilt, responsibility, and redemption?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If this story were updated to a contemporary setting, what current social tensions might replace the post-WWII anti-Japanese sentiment in the US?

2. Draft a headline and brief opening paragraph for the article Ishmael writes exonerating Kabuo at the end of the novel.

3. Which minor character’s story would you most want to explore in a companion novel, and why?

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