boring bookview,sorry kiddies
Snow Falling on Cedars Victoria Peters
Page 152-308 10/20/05
(second 3rd of the book)
Now at the meat of the novel so much is presented. There is so much history to the characters now gathered in the Amity Harbor Court room, snow melting at their feet. The second section begins with details on Kabuo Miyamoto’s mindset in prison. Having meant to project the jurors his innocence, he, “sat upright in the hope that his desperate composure might reflect the shape of his soul… Now looking at himself…he saw that he appeared defiant instead.” Surrounded by jurors, witnesses and onlookers, he refused to respond to anything that happened, he had not, “allowed the jurors to read in his face that palpitations of his heart.” His father taught him how to gain this composure intended to reveal the truth of ones inner life. This is part of his culture, who he is. It provided clues as to how the juror may perceive him as a, “shady character” because of this difference between his ways of life and theirs. This becomes an unseen yet visible barrier creating apprehension in the jury and weakening his claim of innocence.
With this against Miyamoto, there are also many other factors giving his plea, “not guilty” little help. For example, he knew the murdered. They were both friends at a young age and both in the war. There is a definite motive that Miyamoto could have against Carl Heine. Both Carl and Miyamoto were troubled by an old family disagreement over land due to the war. Miyamoto was hoping to regain unfair lost family property and became upset that he may once again lose his chance to achieve this. This persistence for the land led to cold feelings toward Miyamoto’s family in general. “…Carl’s mother had nothing but ill feelings for all the Miyamoto’s, she sometimes spoke of them at the dinner table on Sundays, rattling on obsessively.” Pg.296
Like mentioned before, his un-sympathetic demeanor and the fact that there were no witnesses was used against Miyamoto in court. Plus suspicion as to why Miyamoto would board Heine’s boat. “… no man ever boarded another’s boat. It wasn’t done he’d never heard of it. You kept to yourself unless you had some kind of emergency and needed another man’s help.” Pg.281
In-between the evidence and claims of the trial, time rewinds to the marriage of Hatsue and Miyamoto and then even further in the past to the tragic love between Hatsue and Ishmael. Hatsue’s family forbid their relationship and parts of herself do not wish to fight their hardship to remain together. The guilt of deceiving her parents in the forest cedar tree eats away at her heart and confuses her emotions until the ultimate blow. Her mother finally finds a note of pure passion from Ishmael to Hatsue.
This novel like the weather of the Island changed my feelings from one extreme to the next. At first I felt like crying, the growing love story, and the break up of families, the unfairness of the war. And yet I became disgusted with the details of Ishmael’s experiences in battle, and the rough living conditions of the Japanese internment camps. “Ishmael had not been fully anesthetized and awoke to see his arm where it had been dropped in a corner on top of a pile of blood-soaked dressings,” Pg.250
Back in court, the case develops with more information as to why Miyamoto was singled out in the community of gill-netters on the foggy sea that evening. Most convincing evidence was a mysterious blow to Carl Heine’s head. According to the corner is the exact some mark a kendo stick, a Japanese fighting stick that Miyamoto just happen to be trained in, could make.
The character development is very intense in the story, watching Hatsue and Miyamoto change because of the circumstances around them; the war plays a major role. Through Ishmael’s father’s newspaper articles the effects of Pearl Harbor are evident. Most important to the story being the 1976 Executive Order 9066 which eventually placed 110,000 Japanese-Americans into internment camps. “All twelve toilets were filled up to overflowing. Women were using these toilets anyway, squatting over them…while a line of strangers watched and held their nose.” Pg.219
There is so much passionate, so much confusion of feelings, and with the trial, that the book holds you in every aspect of life, death, love, and prejudice. I am anxious to know the outcome of the affection that held Hatsue and Ishmael in their past. While Hatsue’s husband has the ill fortune of all signs pointing to his downfall, what he would see as his punishment for the men he killed in the war.
As the cedars enclosed the two lovers I read on to see the conclusion of the novel.
Page 152-308 10/20/05
(second 3rd of the book)
Now at the meat of the novel so much is presented. There is so much history to the characters now gathered in the Amity Harbor Court room, snow melting at their feet. The second section begins with details on Kabuo Miyamoto’s mindset in prison. Having meant to project the jurors his innocence, he, “sat upright in the hope that his desperate composure might reflect the shape of his soul… Now looking at himself…he saw that he appeared defiant instead.” Surrounded by jurors, witnesses and onlookers, he refused to respond to anything that happened, he had not, “allowed the jurors to read in his face that palpitations of his heart.” His father taught him how to gain this composure intended to reveal the truth of ones inner life. This is part of his culture, who he is. It provided clues as to how the juror may perceive him as a, “shady character” because of this difference between his ways of life and theirs. This becomes an unseen yet visible barrier creating apprehension in the jury and weakening his claim of innocence.
With this against Miyamoto, there are also many other factors giving his plea, “not guilty” little help. For example, he knew the murdered. They were both friends at a young age and both in the war. There is a definite motive that Miyamoto could have against Carl Heine. Both Carl and Miyamoto were troubled by an old family disagreement over land due to the war. Miyamoto was hoping to regain unfair lost family property and became upset that he may once again lose his chance to achieve this. This persistence for the land led to cold feelings toward Miyamoto’s family in general. “…Carl’s mother had nothing but ill feelings for all the Miyamoto’s, she sometimes spoke of them at the dinner table on Sundays, rattling on obsessively.” Pg.296
Like mentioned before, his un-sympathetic demeanor and the fact that there were no witnesses was used against Miyamoto in court. Plus suspicion as to why Miyamoto would board Heine’s boat. “… no man ever boarded another’s boat. It wasn’t done he’d never heard of it. You kept to yourself unless you had some kind of emergency and needed another man’s help.” Pg.281
In-between the evidence and claims of the trial, time rewinds to the marriage of Hatsue and Miyamoto and then even further in the past to the tragic love between Hatsue and Ishmael. Hatsue’s family forbid their relationship and parts of herself do not wish to fight their hardship to remain together. The guilt of deceiving her parents in the forest cedar tree eats away at her heart and confuses her emotions until the ultimate blow. Her mother finally finds a note of pure passion from Ishmael to Hatsue.
This novel like the weather of the Island changed my feelings from one extreme to the next. At first I felt like crying, the growing love story, and the break up of families, the unfairness of the war. And yet I became disgusted with the details of Ishmael’s experiences in battle, and the rough living conditions of the Japanese internment camps. “Ishmael had not been fully anesthetized and awoke to see his arm where it had been dropped in a corner on top of a pile of blood-soaked dressings,” Pg.250
Back in court, the case develops with more information as to why Miyamoto was singled out in the community of gill-netters on the foggy sea that evening. Most convincing evidence was a mysterious blow to Carl Heine’s head. According to the corner is the exact some mark a kendo stick, a Japanese fighting stick that Miyamoto just happen to be trained in, could make.
The character development is very intense in the story, watching Hatsue and Miyamoto change because of the circumstances around them; the war plays a major role. Through Ishmael’s father’s newspaper articles the effects of Pearl Harbor are evident. Most important to the story being the 1976 Executive Order 9066 which eventually placed 110,000 Japanese-Americans into internment camps. “All twelve toilets were filled up to overflowing. Women were using these toilets anyway, squatting over them…while a line of strangers watched and held their nose.” Pg.219
There is so much passionate, so much confusion of feelings, and with the trial, that the book holds you in every aspect of life, death, love, and prejudice. I am anxious to know the outcome of the affection that held Hatsue and Ishmael in their past. While Hatsue’s husband has the ill fortune of all signs pointing to his downfall, what he would see as his punishment for the men he killed in the war.
As the cedars enclosed the two lovers I read on to see the conclusion of the novel.