Snow Falling on Cedars: symbolism question
  Samples from your essay questions

When the snow is falling hard, like in the first three chapters of this book, it symbolizes harshness, cold, and tension. “The wind drove steadily inland, hurling them against the fragrant trees, and the snow began to settle on the highest branches with a gentle implacibility.” This quote shows the snow “hurling against the fragrant trees,” which makes the snow seem harsh, like the feelings about the trial, or the tension between the defendant’s wife and the reporter. Although the snow is harsh, it also may be a symbol of simplicity, like in the quote; “He hoped it would snow recklessly and bring to the island the impossible winter purity, so rare and precious, he remembered fondly from his youth.”

While he is sitting in court, Kabuo, the defendent, sees the snow falling outside and realizes he missed winter.  He remembers spending 77 days in his windowless cell, and this is the first time he has seen the outside.  The snow “struck him (Kabuo) as infinately beautiful.” I don’t believe that snow is used as a symbol in the next two chapters.  It is used mostly to set a setting in the second chapter and the weather is not mentioned at all in the third chapter.

In Snow Falling On Cedars the snow begins falling when the first murder trial in decades begins. The change of seasons and falling snow represents the innocence of Kabuo Miyamoto. He was locked up for all of autumn, and his first view of outside was a “snow blurred” image of the cedar hills.

The snow in the novel Snow Falling on Cedars is a symbol for justice.  I believe that the snow is a symbol for justice because whenever the author brings up the snow, the characters are always in the courtroom by saying “In the meantime he sat facing the wind-driven snowfall, which had begun to mute the streets outside the courthouse windows.”

As the snow falls over San Piedro Island, it brings a beautiful purity to the island.  It struck people as “infinitely beautiful” and brought an “impossible winter purity - so rare and precious” to the island.  As a man is brought to trial for murder, the snow falls, washing Puget Sound with its white beauty.