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Comparing Novel and Film Version of Snow Falling on Cedars Essay

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Comparing Novel and Film Version of Snow Falling on Cedars

It is no easy task to create a work - through writing or film - that has an impact on society. In writing, one must discuss and analyze a relevant topic that will have an impact on the readers. One must also present stunning sensory images through words in order to create a complete understanding for the reader. In filmmaking it is not much different, but there must be striking visual imagery in combination with a fitting musical score in order to give the viewer of the film the full experience. There must also be historical accuracy, both in writing and film. In either case, it can take years to create such a captivating piece of work. David Guterson's novel Snow …show more content…

Hatsue had grown up to marry Kabuo, the man on trial, and Ishmael had lost an arm in the war against the Japanese. Ishmael was also one of the reporters covering Kabuo's trial, and found himself tempted to ignore the ethics of journalism taught to him by his father in order to satiate his bitterness toward Hatsue for ending their childhood romance. In delving deeper into the issues that deal with Kabuo's trial, the effects of war, and the romance between young Ishmael and Hatsue, Snow Falling on Cedars explores human emotion and behavior with astonishing accuracy.

In the novel, David Guterson spent significant amounts of time exploring the way language can be used to convey a story line. Guterson went back and forth with scenes from past and present in the novel, combining both and portraying them thickly with literary devices. One of the most predominant literary devices in the novel was the use of imagery. The prevalent image of the story is the snow as it fell upon the cedars that populated San Piedro Island. Guterson invoked this image on page after page throughout the novel, making it apparent that the snow veiling the cedar forests could be a metaphor for the way prejudices veil honesty and truth in human behavior. The fact that the island was stricken with the worst snowstorm in twenty years during Kabuo Miyamoto's trial was further evidence to such a

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