Ethics In Snow Falling On Cedars By David Gunderson

It is often wondered why things like segregation and Japanese discrimination have happened. Due to basic racial stereotypes, throughout the years people have misjudged people based on their ethnicity. It was only later that people realized that there is more to a person than the color of their skin, and that you should judge them by their personality. In this case though, the government and local citizens didn’t know this motto, so the Jim Crow law was instituted. Times were rough for both the Japanese Americans and African Americans.

In contrast with deontology, there is utilitarianism, which is a consequentialist theory. Utilitarianists consider consequences to be an important indicator of the moral value of one’s actions (Rich, 2008). In consequentialist analyses, conclusions about what is right or wrong are based on the consequences (Tanner et al., 2008). Utilitarianism is to promote the greatest good for the greatest amount of people that is possible in situations.

As we read further into the book, into Part II: “The War in Western Eyes”, it allows us to recognize the different types of natures. The kill or be killed, the down-home styled, and the different types of behaviors. It tells about the punishments through prisoners and the freed and even makes the reference of how “for many Japanese-Americans, the verbal stripping of their humanity was accompanied by humiliating treatment” These people were treated with disrespect and as if they were part of a cluster of cattle. Part three of the novel explains and explores the culture of the Japanese to determine racial outlook.

→ The author shows the racism in American from a lot of sources; such as cartoons, official documents, advertisements, movies, and songs. The mass media drew Japanese people as an immature children (p.142) and animals. Especially, cartoons depicted the Japanese as monkeys, apes, rats, bugs, beetles, lice, and other kinds of creatures that had to be wiped out. (pp. 181-189) An example is that one restaurant sign on the West Coast said "This Restaurant Poisons Both Rats and Japs". (p. 92)

David Guterson's novel Snow Falling on Cedars undoubtedly holds high acclaim in its reputable attempt to show the prejudice between the Americans and Japanese after World War II and more importantly the prejudice that is unavoidably apart of human nature. The author of the criticism recognizes and brings to light the things done by Guterson throughout the novel. He refers to the animosity between people brought about by differences, the unwillingness to accept change, and also states that things end in a moral and justified manner.

With utilitarianism we want to allow the goodness, pleasure, or the desire of willing to be morally good. In reality we strive to live for happiness, but not everyone can be as happy. On the negative aspect we don’t want to have to experience pain, suffering, heartache, and negative experiences. The positive aspects of deontology is defined as a principle of utility, which states that everyone deserves the same worthiness and equal value.

To contrast utilitarianism and deontology, utilitarianism summarized is making the right decision followed by the right actions that has the best outcome for the largest number of individuals. Deontology is the understanding and practice that there is a respect for life, fairness, and honesty despite the consequences and no matter the affect on

Americans view the Japanese as apes, monkeys and subhuman because to Americans the Japanese were savage animals and heartless. Americans view the Japanese with anger because the Japanese were people who did not care to kill an American or whoever got in their way. Other countries before the WWII also disliked the Japanese and thought they were useless and stating, which “looking upon the Japanese as animals, or a different species of some sort, was common at official levels in Washington and London before Pearl Harbor” (Dower, p.249). The book describes the racial comments Americans would make against the Japanese. Many racial comments were extreme, which shocked the reader on how much hatred existed against the Japanese. During the war, Americans were like the Japanese, they did not touch their heart to kill a “Jap” they believe Japanese were just like cockroaches; therefore, can be killed easily without a problem.

During Kabuo Miyamoto’s murder trial, he is greatly affected by the prejudice in his community. Post-war treatment of all the Japanese-Americans on the island continued to devalue them and place them as lesser human beings. Before the presence of the murder trial, citizens of San Piedro express little of racism however it is evident throughout the trial that racism and prejudice covertly prevail in their society. “‘Look into his eyes, consider his face, and ask yourselves what your duty is as citizens of this community’” (Guterson 418). When attorney, Alvin Hook subtly focuses on Kabuo’s appearance, he expresses the presence of racial prejudice. This prejudice has created hopelessness in him. He has accepted his fate even though he did not

Consequentialism and non-consequentialism are evident in these two theories when dealing with consequences of your ethical decisions. Utilitarianism is concerned with consequences showing a consequentialist view well deontological is not concerned with consequences a non-consequentialist view of ethics. Let's say you were in a situation where a serial killer wanted to know the location of a group of people and you knew the location would you lie or tell the truth. If you are a utilitarian concerned with consequences you would lie since the consequences could be the death of those people if you were, to tell the truth. On the other hand, someone with a deontological view won't lie and tell the location of the group of people since lying is against

Deontology looks at actions as either right or wrong; states that rule humans uses reason to determine whether something is good or bad, right or wrong. Deontology believes morality is in the act, rationality leads to right and wrong, and the use of the maxim of universality. The use of the maxim of universality to decide whether an action is right or wrong; this states that an action is right if at the same time, you'd be happy for everybody else in the world.

My research has led me to take the position that deontology is the better-defended ethical system for several reasons. Utilitarianism is a procedure for making social choices and allowing for trade-offs. It supposes to treat people as equals, each person counts as one and no more than one. This does not take into account that people are distinct and unique. The problem with this approach is how does one treat distinctly different people fairly? Morally, people’s interests matter equally (Kymlicka, 1988). Each person’s interest should be given the same consideration, regardless of preference or material well being of the individual. This utilitarian approach is really deontological in nature, because it demands the individuals’ preference be respected. If this doesn’t happen the individuals have been treated unjustly or wrongly. To state is conversely, to respect the individuals’ preferences is to be just or right.

Some ethical theories, like the Categorical Imperative, are deontological - they assume that we should do the right thing because it is the right thing, regardless of the consequences. Other ethical theories are teleological, this means that it is the consequences or the ends (telos) of an action that termine whether it is right or not - the “ends justify the means”. Utilitarianism is therefore a teleological normative ethical theory with absolute and relative variants.

Both utilitarianism and deontology are normative ethical theories. Normative ethics is a branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one should morally act. (Meriam Webster Dictionary, 1) Utilitarianism and deontology have often been discussed throughout the history of ethics, and both have had many adaptations of the concepts. Utilitarianism is defined as a doctrine that the useful is the good and that the determining consideration of right conduct should be the usefulness of its consequences. (Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2) Deontology is defined as the study of one’s moral obligation. (Merriam Webster Dictionary, 3)

This novel brings in many themes, including racism, death, and growing up. The family is Japanese-American and they are discriminated against throughout the course of the novel. For example, when they move to Georgia, they have an incident with a woman in a hotel. On page 27, it states “She moved her mouth from the phone and said to my father, “Indians stay in the back rooms”…”We are not Indian,” Katie says.”Mexicans, too”…”We are not Mexican,” Katie says.”Hold on a second, Hon.” She set the receiver down and turned her focus on me. I took hold of my fathers hand. “Young