Snow Falling on Cedars Lesson Plan

How does social prejudice reflect itself in where people choose to sit in the courtroom?

Though it is not a law that the Japanese residents sit at the back of the courtroom, they are compelled to by the social power of prejudice. In the courtroom, this example resonates with the often difficult truth that individuals, though considered equal under the law, may not be considered equal socially.

In other words, society itself may prove the stronger judge, with unjust consequences. The novel illustrates this possibility by presenting an accused man of Japanese descent and Japanese observers sitting in the back of the room. This illustration suggests another structural...