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Arthur Chambers
Hatsue’s mother. She was sent to the U.S. to marry Hisao Imada, who is much poorer than he’d led her to believe. Fujiko has had a difficult life, but she’s worked hard to get where she is, and she has always kept her suffering to herself. She is weary of the white islanders and tries to teach her children about the inherent difference between the Japanese and the hakujin (white people). She is critical of Hatsue’s confidence in her own wants, needs, and identity. She advises her daughter that it is best not to express the fleeting feelings of the heart, and that it is preferable to dwell and suffer in silence.
Fujiko Imada Quotes in Snow Falling on Cedars
The Snow Falling on Cedars quotes below are all either spoken by Fujiko Imada or refer to Fujiko Imada. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14 Quotes
“That is the fundamental difference, Hatsue. We bend our heads, we bow and are silent, because we understand that by ourselves, alone, we are nothing at all, dust in a strong wind, while the hakujin believes his aloneness is everything, his separateness is the foundation of his existence. He seeks and grasps, seeks and grasps for the separateness, while we seek union with the Greater Life—you must see that these are distinct paths we are traveling, Hatsue, the hakujin and we Japanese.”
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After the FBI arrests Hatsue’s father, her mother, Fujiko, explains to her daughter the differences between the hakujin (white people) and the Japanese. In particular, Fujiko emphasizes the tendency of the hakujin to act according to their personal desires. In contrast, the Japanese “seek union with the Greater Life.” White people, Fujiko explains, are motivated by selfish desires—they situate their identities and wants at the center of their world, disregarding the larger order of the universe. In contrast, the Japanese “bend their heads”; they recognize that wants and desires are fleeting impulses of the heart. To the Japanese, it is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum
She was of this place and she was not of this place, and though she might desire to be an American it was clear, as her mother said, that she had the face of America’s enemy and would always have such a face.
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After Hatsue’s father is arrested by the FBI, Fujiko consoles her daughters, explaining the differences between the Japanese and American ways of life. After listening to Fujiko explain these differences, Hatsue struggles to determine where she fits in, and to which culture she belongs. On the one hand, she “[is] of this place.” San Piedro is the only home she’s ever known: she loves exploring the island’s natural beauty, and, despite the secrecy with which they must conduct their affair, she has a white boyfriend for whom she feels genuine affection. Still, as her mother reminds her, “she [has] the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inve
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Fujiko Imada Character Timeline in Snow Falling on Cedars
The timeline below shows where the character Fujiko Imada appears in Snow Falling on Cedars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7
...so it was important for their daughter to know where she came from. Hatsue’s mother, Fujiko, had been sent to Seattle to marry Hisao, Hatsue’s father, who she falsely believed was...
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After Hatsue was born, Hisao and Fujiko moved from a shoddy Beacon Hill boardinghouse to a Jackson Street boardinghouse. The Jackson Street...
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...on San Piedro, too. When she was seven, Hatsue and her sisters worked outside with Fujiko. Hisao sold fish. The family saved their money and eventually were able to lease a...
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Chapter 14
...island who are hoarding “illegal contraband.” The men confiscate the family’s Japanese belongings, such as Fujiko’s kimono, a sword, a wooden flute that had been in their family for generations, and...
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...questions, after which point he’ll be allowed to return home. Hatsue’s sisters begin to cry. Fujiko pleads with the men, but to no avail. “Think of this as a war sacrifice,”...
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Fujiko comforts her daughters and urges them to be strong, recalling her journey aboard the Korea...
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...her mother’s comments about the hakujin, insisting that not all white people hate the Japanese. Fujiko admits that, yes, not all white people hate the Japanese; but still, she asks her...
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Fujiko sympathizes with her daughter, citing the difficulty of their times. Still, she urges her to...
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Fujiko says she thinks living among white people has “tainted” her daughter, and “made [her] soul...
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Chapter 15
...in horse stables and eating only canned figs, white bread, and coffee. The food makes Fujiko sick, and she is ashamed at having to relieve herself in front of others, barely...
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...Ishmael sent Hatsue. Sumiko opens and reads the love letter before bringing it “regretfully” to Fujiko. Fujiko reads the letter and is shocked and angered, realizing that her suspicions about Hatsue...
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Before Fujiko confronts her daughter, a group of boys from the island, including Kabuo, come by the...
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Fujiko shows the letter to Hatsue, who informs her that the letter is unnecessary: Hatsue will...
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Kabuo brings the drawers he made for the family’s room, and Fujiko invites him to stay. She does this again, as Kabuo delivers other things for the...
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Chapter 32
Fujiko tells Ishmael she’d always thought highly of his family. She compliments Ishmael’s newspaper and gives...
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