Snow Falling On Cedars :: essays research papers

snowfall Falling On CedarsVs.Stranger In The Kingdom&9When I first designate Howard Frank Moshers novel Stranger In The Kingdom I was astonished that something like that took place in Vermont. I have always been beneath the misconception that racism isnt extremely prevalent in our local culture today. Once again my white Americans views were challenged when I read Snow Falling On Cedars, by David Guter watchword. The two books seem to me to be exactly the aforementioned(prenominal) story, tho they occur about forty years apart from separately other. The book atomic number 18 so synonymous with each other, that most of the characters are comparable.&9As the story of David Gutersons book unfolds, we find ourselves looking finished the eyes of a man that has lived on the island for most of his life. His name is Ishmael Chambers. Ishmael seems to be a perceptive child, and soon gets to know one of the islands many Japanese girls, named Hatsue. As fate would have it, they fall in love with each other in Shakespeare-like-fashion. The problem of them coming from two dissimilar races of people forces them to be secretive about their relationship. When Hatsue is forced to move away because of WWII regulations, she ends her relationship with Ishmael, sending him into a life filled with jealousy and grief.Howard Frank Mosher paints the same portrait for us, only in a more commonly know setting. A black man and his son are cognizant of their color when they are forced to live in a town of solely white people. As the murder trial unfolds, we find out that the mans son also has been having a relationship such as the one Ishmael and Hatsue had. He had been having "relations" with a white mail-order bride that had just arrived in town. They kept this secret because of the obvious problems it would have caused with the bigoted townspeople. In both stories, a love between two different people has evolved. Similar to each story the only reason the two young peo ple were separated was due solely on the race and social standing. (The similarity to Romeo and Juliet here is amazing. I am get-go to think that all modern love stories are based on that play West Side Story.) I believe that stories such as these lead continue to happen indefinitely in the future.&9Ever since Columbus first set foot on the New World, racism and prejudice has been an issue.