Snow Falling on Cedars Essay
Kristy Terp
2/19/2013
Snow Falling On Cedars Essay
The development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power; fate. An indifferent power that predetermines the inevitable events and outcome of our lives; fate. A simple four letter word that controls so much more than we, human beings, truly come to realize in our lifetimes; fate. In the novel Snow Falling on Cedars, most of the citizens of San Piedro Island also fail to conclude that this powerful force is either working against them, or determining the outcome of their future. Given the fact that Guterson relates the entire novel to how a Japanese-American man, Kabuo Miyamoto, is accused of murdering a white fisherman by the name of Carl Heine, there are many instances in which fate is the reason behind the outcome of events. The whole reason that Carl actually died was because of chance; his death was a mere accident, not a murder. Similarly, the disastrous snowstorm that hits the island of San Piedro during the trial of Kabuo is also a prime example of fate because it controls how the trial goes on for the many characters involved. Likewise, Kabuo’s fate is decided for him, the final verdict being either life or death. In the end, whether the citizens of San Piedro realized it or not, fate was the main force that decided how the events and lives of those living on the island would turn out.
On the night of September 15th, Carl Heine’s life took a turn for the worse and was ended by fate. The battery of his boat, the Susan Marie, just happened to go dead while he was out fishing in the dense fog. As Ishmael imagined the series of events he thought, “Carl Heine must have cursed his misfortune” (455). This misfortune that Ishmael spoke of was Carl Heine’s fate emerging in a negative manner. Abel Martinson, one of the police that was investigating the situation also came to the conclusion that his death was simply an accident when he stated, “He hit his head on
2/19/2013
Snow Falling On Cedars Essay
The development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power; fate. An indifferent power that predetermines the inevitable events and outcome of our lives; fate. A simple four letter word that controls so much more than we, human beings, truly come to realize in our lifetimes; fate. In the novel Snow Falling on Cedars, most of the citizens of San Piedro Island also fail to conclude that this powerful force is either working against them, or determining the outcome of their future. Given the fact that Guterson relates the entire novel to how a Japanese-American man, Kabuo Miyamoto, is accused of murdering a white fisherman by the name of Carl Heine, there are many instances in which fate is the reason behind the outcome of events. The whole reason that Carl actually died was because of chance; his death was a mere accident, not a murder. Similarly, the disastrous snowstorm that hits the island of San Piedro during the trial of Kabuo is also a prime example of fate because it controls how the trial goes on for the many characters involved. Likewise, Kabuo’s fate is decided for him, the final verdict being either life or death. In the end, whether the citizens of San Piedro realized it or not, fate was the main force that decided how the events and lives of those living on the island would turn out.
On the night of September 15th, Carl Heine’s life took a turn for the worse and was ended by fate. The battery of his boat, the Susan Marie, just happened to go dead while he was out fishing in the dense fog. As Ishmael imagined the series of events he thought, “Carl Heine must have cursed his misfortune” (455). This misfortune that Ishmael spoke of was Carl Heine’s fate emerging in a negative manner. Abel Martinson, one of the police that was investigating the situation also came to the conclusion that his death was simply an accident when he stated, “He hit his head on