The Messy World of Snow Falling on Cedars Snow Falling on Cedars is a text that examines both human nature and the nature of the truth. It features the closed world of San Peidro Island and the even more closed world of the Amity Harbor Courthouse. The beauty of the novel and the film is that they depict real life and real emotions. Snow Falling on Cedars exists in a messy world, but that world is no messier than real life. The story uses a type of parallel plot structure. One story involves the quest for the truth about the trial: Did Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese American, kill Carl Heine, a German American? The other story involves the search for meaning in the life of Ishmael Chambers, the main character involved in the majority of flashbacks. Life inside the courthouse is presented as structured and neat – the courthouse is seen as an orderly place. Everyone has their place and role within the court. There are the witnesses, the accused, the defense lawyer, the prosecution, the judge and all other judicial personnel. Everything seems to be working as it should. In a traditional courtroom drama, the characters are one-dimensional and simply there to advance the plot of the murder trial. However, David Guterson skillfully uses flashbacks to explore the characters' real emotions and feelings to make Snow Falling on Cedars a deep and meaningful exploration of the human condition. It is the flashbacks experienced by Ishmael, Kabuo and the other characters that betray their true feelings...... middle of paper ......he reveals the evidence he discovered at the expedition headquarters, throwing the legal proceedings into disarray. and the charges against Kabuo are dismissed. Here, the ordered world of the court appears superficial and rather delicately maintained. Snow Falling on Cedars is delicately placed in the Courtroom Drama subgenre. Essentially, this is a courtroom drama that isn't really about a court case. Snow Falling on Cedars is concerned with exposing the truth about human nature and emotions; specifically prejudice, love and hate. It uses the trial of Kabuo Miyamoto to move the story forward and expose these horrible truths. Like real life, the world of Snow Falling on Cedars is messy. What is supposed to be the epitome of order, the court, is in reality only a facade - hiding the disorder of individual prejudices, emotions and destiny..