Snow Falling on Cedars

Some ways to approach the themes of this novel.

1. It is a tale about fishing and farming, rich in the details of life on the north-west Pacific coast and poetic in its evocations of place, weather and people.

2. It is a parable about the need for trust, forgiveness and tolerance both locally and in the world at large/it is a study in human relationships.

3. It is a moral tale, with Ishmael struggling to do the right thing towards Horace, Hatsue and himself (this is a Leavisite reading).

4. It is a whodunnit, keeping us gripped in suspense until near the end.

5. It is a critique of expansionist/colonialist war, used by the ruling class to divide the working class against itself (this is a Marxist reading).

6. It is a novel about the position of women, who are marginalised and forced to deny their true selves in subordination to the men they love/marry (this is a feminist reading).

7. It is a novel about the uncertainties of belief, purpose, character, the nature of love, family and marriage, values, relationships; its meaning cannot be finally pinned down, but is shifting and elusive (this is a post-modernist reading).

8. It is a novel about growing up, both at the individual and community level.

9. It is a novel offering both a tribute to and a critique of the American dream.

10. It is a carefully balanced and structured novel comprising the oppositions, differences and absences within and between which we experience meaning in life.

You may be able to add to this list as you become more familiar with the rich texture of this rewarding text.