I recently finished Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. This is a novel that addresses the issue of stereotyping and prejudice. The entire novel is focused around a trial of a Japanese-American man who has been accused of killing a white man. This novel does a powerful job of showing the strong prejudices that Kabua, the Japanese-American man encountered on his trial. Most of the jury was prejudice against him for being a Japanese American because the novel takes place after the bombing at Pearl Harbor—making some prejudice against the Japanese race.

The novel is filled with details and histories of many characters. Depending upon the background of the reader, and the context in which the novel is read I believe there are many different meanings that can be found within this text.

I read this novel for a class that is dealing with issues of stereotypes and prejudices. I found this to be a perfect example of how the way we read is constructed by the context in which we are reading—this idea which was introduced by in Theory Toolbox. I knew going into the novel that I should keep an eye out for the injustices that the character faced. I found myself analyzing and interpreting Kabuo’s actions right down to his body language, and the reactions of the jury members. The meaning behind the characters and the novel was socially constructed and influenced by the beliefs and discussion with my classmates. It now occurs to me that if I had not experienced this text within this context the meaning would have been constructed very differently. For example, if I had read this novel without the focus on stereotypes and prejudice--I may have read it as more of a love story...... (I haven't seen the movie yet, but even the movie trailer seems to sell it as a love story--so i attatched a link to the trailer if you're interested!?)