Snow Falling on Cedars

At the end of the day after Heine’s body had been recovered, Sherrif Moran asked Judge Lew Fielding for a search warrant to locate a kendo stick that could be the cause of the gouge on Heine’s head. The judge grants the warrant for Kabuo’s boat but not his home.

Meanwhile, Kabuo places a battery in his boat. Though he is not usually superstitious, he worries when he sees a flock of seagulls. Moran arrives with the warrant, and Kabuo reads it while Moran searches. Moran confiscates a gaff with a steel hook on one end.

Day two of the trial begins. The prosecution calls Dr. Stanley Whitman, a hematologist who tested the blood on the gaff found on Kabuo’s boat. He determined this to be human blood, type B positive, which is the same as Carl Heine’s. Kabuo’s blood type is reported as O negative. On cross-examination, Gudmundsson points to the lack of evidence of a head wound—such as tissue or hair—on the gaff. He notes that the blood could have come from the wound on Heine’s hand, since the blood appeared on the end of the gaff where one would place a hand.

Three fishermen testify next and agree on the locations where they saw both Heine and Kabuo’s boats. They note that there can be tension among fishermen if one encroaches on the other’s territory but that it is in no way common for a fisherman to board another man’s boat.

Next, army Sergeant Victor Maples testifies, explaining that he trained Kabuo in hand-to-hand combat during the war. He asserts that Kabuo was highly skilled in sparring due to his childhood training in Kendo. Later, Maples learned Kendo from Kabuo himself. Maples is certain that Kabuo is capable of killing a man with a wooden gaff like the one found aboard his boat.

Susan Marie Heine testifies next. She recalls Kabuo arriving at her home on September 9, asking to speak with Carl. Afterward, Carl told her that Kabuo wished to purchase the seven acres. Carl indicated to Kabuo that he would consider this offer, but stated that his mother would be disappointed if he were to sell the land to Kabuo. Carl admitted to Susan Marie that he and Kabuo argued, and that he no longer liked Kabuo because he is Japanese.

Susan Marie was content to stay where they were and did not wish to move to the strawberry farm. That night, Carl headed out to fish, and Susan Marie never saw him again.

Gudmundsson cross-examines Susan Marie. He points out that she did not hear the conversation between Carl and Kabuo firsthand, which Susan Marie concedes to. Gudmundsson stresses that Carl had said he would consider selling the land to Kabuo—Susan Marie agrees that this is how the matter was left between the men when Kabuo departed. She acknowledges that she never received any of the “dirty looks” (232) from Kabuo which Etta Heine reported receiving.

Just as Susan Marie is about to be dismissed, the power goes out in the courtroom, a tree having fallen on the power lines due to the snowstorm.

Gudmundsson dismisses Susan Marie from the stand, and Judge Fielding calls a recess for lunch.

Ishmael heads to his office but discovers the power is out all over town. He feels he should check in on his mother but is also concerned about getting the newspaper printed as well as photographing the storm. He buys kerosene from the filling station and cold sandwiches from the restaurant; there are stranded cars everywhere. The power company displays a notice estimating power to be restored the next morning. Ishmael returns to the courthouse only to hear the judge announce that the trial will be postponed until the next morning. Ferries are not running, so the jury will have to spend the night at the small hotel on the island.

Ishmael drives to his mother’s house to bring her the kerosene, passing abandoned cars and downed trees. He recognizes Hatsue’s father’s car, stuck, with Hatsue and Hisao attempting to dig it out. Ishmael offers them a ride, and they accept. In the car, Hisao chats politely with Ishmael, but Hatsue only occasionally glares at him. Ishmael wants to know more about her anger. Finally, Hatsue speaks, insisting that the trial is unfair and that Ishmael should convey this in the newspaper. They speak briefly about justice and fairness. Ishmael drops them off at Hisao’s home, thinking about how Hatsue’s life has been changed because of the murder charge.

At the Coast Guard station, Ishmael asks the lighthouse officer for records on past storms. Alone with the records, however, Ishmael can only think of Hatsue. He recalls seeing her for the first time after the war: They encountered one another while buying groceries and, though Hatsue offered condolences for the loss of his arm, Ishmael angrily blamed Japanese people. He immediately apologized to Hatsue, confessing he was “miserable” (251). Afterward, he tried writing her a letter but tore it up. Within a few days, he came across her on the beach. Ishmael explained that he wanted to get over his love for her but could not. He asks that she hold him. Hatsue refused.

Turning his thoughts to the murder trial, Ishmael turns to the records for September 15 and 16 of that year. He discovers that a large freighter ship had barreled through the fishing area that night, causing enormous waves that endangered the smaller boats. The two men on duty at the lighthouse that night were transferred to another post on September 16. Ishmael, believing himself to be the only person with this knowledge, feels this information exonerates Kabuo. He removes the triplicate forms of the report and takes it with him.

Ishmael brings the kerosene to his mother, and she convinces him to spend the night in light of the storm. Over dinner, they talk about the trial. Ishmael says he believes Kabuo to be guilty on account of the evidence. His mother feels Kabuo has been accused merely because he is Japanese. They discuss fairness and the war, including Ishmael’s ongoing sadness since returning from it. Ishmael admits to being unhappy but does not know how to remedy it. His mother insists marriage and children would cure his loneliness and unhappiness.

His mother goes to bed, but Ishmael wanders the house, recalling his father and the baseball games they used to listen to on the radio. He recalls his father’s funeral and the Japanese community expressing its condolences, thanking Arthur for his ongoing support of them. Ishmael digs through a box of his childhood mementos, locating the letter Hatsue sent him from the camp. After reading it, he decides he will fulfill Hatsue’s request by writing an opinion piece in the newspaper about the trial.

The third day of the trial begins at eight o’clock amid candlelight. It is the defense’s turn to call its witnesses; the first is Hatsue. As she approaches the stand, she thinks of her husband and how changed he has become by the war. She recalls one evening, when, in the middle of the night, he snuck out to reclaim items his father had buried on the strawberry farm—authentic Japanese items and photographs. Kabuo maintains a tunnel vision on reclaiming the seven acres.

On the stand, Hatsue recounts Kabuo going to see Jurgensen about buying the land. She asserts Kabuo remained hopeful even after learning Carl Heine had already purchased the land. She then explains that Kabuo waited a week before approaching Carl again and that on September 16, they reached an agreement whereby Heine agreed to sell the seven acres to Kabuo for $8,400 with an $800 down payment.