Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- You could argue that the protagonist of the novel is up for debate, since it's very much an ensemble cast of characters. How does this structure affect your understanding of the characters and the themes at play? Do you think it works? Why or why not?
- What do you think of the person who is supposed to be the protagonist, Ishmael Chambers? Is he portrayed positively or negatively?
- Despite the fact that it was not written by an Asian American author, Snow Falling on Cedars is sometimes slotted into Asian American syllabi. Do you find that appropriate? Why or why not?
- In a novel that's centrally concerned with Japanese Americans and the injustices they confront in the wake of World War II, it is striking that the protagonist (Ishmael Chambers) is a white male—one who spends a healthy portion of the novel romanticizing (or one could say exoticizing) his Japanese American ex-girlfriend. How does this affect or shape your understanding of the larger novel and its themes?
- Why does Fujiko Imada place the stamp on Hatsue's letter to Ishmael upside-down?