Snow Falling On Cedars is probably one of my favorite books read in AP Lit, even though I did have some issues with it. When I tried understanding why I liked it so much I realized it was because it still, in some way, resonated with our generation. Despite the fact nobody has any prejudice (at least in this country) over the Japanese, we all have constantly heard about it since freshman year and instead of just facts from history class, I can now see a realistic situation and how people would react with these prejudices. One of the few things though that I wish we talked about in our lit circles but sadly did not have much research about, was names. Miyamoto, for instance, is a really popular name in Japan and means “one who lives at the shrine” and has a lot to do with Samurais. Shrines are interesting because they are linked between life and death. Obviously, shrines are connected to death and the spiritual world, but it physically rests in the normal world. The author could have chosen this name because I can see how it be the name of someone who was connected to a murder case, but also the lively hood of that character.  Hatsue’s first name means “beginning”. Obviously, if the reader counts Ishmael as the protagonist, it would make sense since Hatsue was introduced in the beginning and was significant in his life simply because she has always been there. Ishmael means “God will hear” and is known to be the first son of Abraham. Ishmael is one of the jurors that is able to step back and see the whole picture because he is less connected to the case as a whole (excluding his relationship with Hatsue). In a way, he does see it all and he does find crucial evidence that claims Kabou innocent. Ironically, Kabou’s name means “hope”. Many names, like the ones above, have connections to the story at least a little bit, and hold a powerful string to them. Other than names, the only thing I wish we were able to talk about was the lighthouses. In literature lighthouses commonly symbolize hazard, danger, and warning. Especially if rocks are settled around the lighthouse, as the one in the book, it is supposed to be symbolize a dangerous caution. And saying that nobody noticed this dangerous caution that night, and the lighthouse was the place Kabou’s innocence was discovered, it is easy to say that the lighthouse in the book holds the same symbolism. Also, I had really come to find attachment to Alexander Van Ness. Despite the fact that he only had one part, he probably carried one of my significant shifts in the novel. He is, in a way, the one who truly saved Kabou because he held off the finale decision.