Snow
Snow—and more specifically, the snowstorm that unfolds over the course of Kabuo Miyamoto’s murder trial—represents all that is beyond the ability of humans to control. It also brings to light the distinction humans must…
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The Cedar Tree
The cedar tree represents the absence of society’s pressures and prejudices. In Snow Falling on Cedars, cedar trees—and, to a larger extent, nature as a whole—exist in a realm untouched by humans. Throughout the…
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The Courtroom
In the novel, the courtroom symbolizes humanity’s task of determining the truth from the limited (and often imperfect) facts to which it has access. The world that the residents of San Piedro inhabit is one…
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