Identity In David Gutterson's 'Snow Falling On Cedars'

The fabrication of ones identity is dependent on existential and religious circumstances throughout an individuals life, that lead to intellectual development and transformation. David Gutterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars (SFOC) explores the spiritual and psychological journeys experienced by Ishmael, Hatsue and Kabuo by subjecting each character to moments of peripeteia that provoke personal transformation. In Life of pi, directed by Ang Lee, Pi is a castaway that relies on his faith in god to guide him through a gruelling physical journey through which his strength, both spiritually and physically, is tested. Stephenie Meyer’s The Host is a science fiction novel that explores the psychological and emotional journeys borne by the protagonist,

Wanderer, that cause her to question her beliefs and existence. All three texts portray journey as a catalyst for transformation, as the characters endure inner complications that aid in them developing a sense of self or existential and nihilistic demeanours.

Emotional journeys within an individual cause a distinct transformation in their character and beliefs. Ishmael descends into a state of psychic void as a result of Hatsue’s rejection and his experiences at war. Prior to the inevitable break-up between Ishmael and Hatsue, Ishmael was an optimist and had an idealistic mindset. This can be observed when Ishmael whispers ‘I want to marry you, Hatsue’ , despite the fact that Ishmael and Hatsue can never marry due to cultural barriers, Ishmael desperately grasps onto the hope that they might have a future together. Hatsue’s rejection in the line ‘I don't love you, Ishmael’ causes him to develop pessimistic attitudes and become a misogynist. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychology, developed the stages of grieving which include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. As Ishmael progresses through the stages of grieving for Hatsue, he becomes transfixed in the stage of anger which can be seen when he refers to her as ‘That goddamn jap bitch’. Ishmael’s involvement in the war leads to him becoming psychically wounded and losing the essence of himself. During his childhood Ishmael felt the presence of god as said by his mother in the line ‘You felt him as a child…I remember, Ishmael. You felt him’. Following Ishmael’s return from the war, he becomes an atheist as he looses his faith in a greater being above and develops a nihilistic mindset. In the film Life of pi, a young Indian boy, Pi, looses his family and becomes stranded at sea with a menagerie following the sinking of his ship. Pi embarks on a religious journey throughout his childhood to young adulthood. Before the event of the ship sinking, while Pi was still residing in India, he was uncertain about his belief in God. Through his regular visits to church, we are able to glimpse his thoughts regarding religion. He asks questions such as ‘If God is so perfect, and we are not, why would he want to create all this? Why does he need us at all?’ . Once Pi becomes stranded at sea, he begins to develop a stronger sense of faith and relies on God to help him through his hardships. Pi develops the habit of praying to god, he says ‘God, I give myself to you. I am your vessel. Whatever comes I want to know. Show me’. The arduous physical journey subjected to Pi provoked an enhancement in his spirituality as his faith in God was strengthened. Transformation within characters in a text are a result of moments that cause emotional imbalance, as seen with Ishmael post rejection, and with Pi following his isolation at sea and loss of his family.

Conflicting emotions and beliefs can lead to an identity crisis within oneself and the transformation of ones ipseity.

In SFOC, Hatsue struggles to accept her identity as a result of her romance with a hakujin that causes her to become guilt ridden from deceiving her family. Hatsue had been carefully trained since her childhood with the intent that she would not forget that she was first and foremost Japanese by her culture teacher, Mrs. Shigemura, and her mother. She had always received warnings about the white race and was encouraged to marry a Japanese boy. Mrs. Shigemura believed in cultural isolation rather than integration and we are told by the narrator, ‘She claimed that white men carried in their hearts a secret lust for pure young Japanese girls…Stay away from white men, said Mrs. Shigemura, and marry a boy of your own kind whose heart is strong and good.’ Due to the strong perceptions of white boys pushed towards Hatsue she was forced to keep her relationship with Ishmael a secret and deceive her family, this caused conflict within Hatsue and she started to resent her own culture. ‘I don't want anything to do with them! Do you hear me? I don't want to be Japanese!’ this line expresses Hatsue’s refusal to accept her Japanese heritage and her struggle to uncover her true identity. The Host is a novel in which the protagonist (Wanderer) is a ‘soul’ that invades the mind of her host body, she finds residency within a group of rebel humans where she develops bonds and discovers feelings of love. Similarly to SFOC, Wanderer is also faced with an identity crisis as her former beliefs of the human race are proven wrong and she is left to question where she belongs. During the first chapters of the novel we are given the preconceptions about humans thought by Wanderer, she says, ‘Who would have the stomach to face the violence of this particular species, the hostile humans who killed so easily, so thoughtlessly?’ Once Wanderer discovers that her perceptions of

the human race were completely wrong she is forced to face the question of who she is. Towards the end of the novel she says ‘I already knew we were wrong to come here’, showing the transformation in her identity and her understanding of humans caused by the conflict created between her former beliefs and her present experiences. Both characters in the texts undergo revelations of and question their selfhood, due to events that cause conflict within themselves.

Metamorphosing moments within an individuals life are catalysts for personal transformation and existential introspection. There are multiple events during the course of Kabuo’s life that lead to him developing a nihilistic attitude. The theory of karma is a fundamental doctrine in buddhism, the Buddha once said "All living beings have actions (Karma) as their own, their inheritance, their congenital cause, their kinsman, their refuge. It is Karma that differentiates beings into low and high states.” Before Kabuo was sent to the war he was a practicing buddhist and believed in the theory of karma. Kabuo was ambitious and determined to obtain the land that rightfully belonged to him. When Kabuo returns from the war he feels a greater connection to the dark side of kendo, passed on to him from his grandfather and the paradox of his grandfather’s sword of life. He undergoes an existential crisis as he ponders that he might be sentenced to the death penalty, for the accused murder of Carl Heine, and he perceives his possible death as appropriate karmic retribution for the four german soldiers he killed during the war and that his ‘sins were too large to climb in this lifetime’. This is expressed in the following lines, ‘The death penalty, Kabuo said to himself. He was a Buddhist and believed in the laws of karma, so it made sense to him that he might pay for his war murders: everything comes back to you, nothing is accidental.’ In Life of Pi, throughout Pi’s journey across the sea his intellectual capacity is developed. During Pi’s childhood, his father warned him of the danger of anthropomorphism; ascribing human qualities to animals, in Pi’s case, thinking of the animals as humans. His father says, ‘You think that tiger is your friend? He is an animal, not a playmate…That tiger is not your friend’. On the sea, Pi heeds to his fathers warning while still managing to live with the animals as if they were family. He learns to survive at sea with the tiger as his only companion by developing his skills and staying spiritually grounded. Events within both Pi and Kabuo’s lives lead to transformation within themselves both mentally and intellectually.

Journeys within an individuals life are catalysts for transformation. Existential and religious circumstances throughout an individuals life aid in the formation of ones identity. David Gutterson’s Snow falling on cedars demonstrates the impact of journey on an individuals ability to undergo change. Life of Pi and The Host also depict journey as a catalyst for transformation and an aid in forming a personal identity. Moments within a persons life that cause an emotional imbalance lead to peripeteia within themselves.