The First True Love

In "Snowing On Cedars", the first ture love for Ishmael and Hatsue happens in Chapter 7 and Chapter 12. The story about pure love is like other classical love stories, but the period of the love is different from other kinds of fairy tales. Even though Ishmael and Hatsue have been connected for many years, they haven't ever been together in public, so I can say it is a tragedy. They fell in love when they were 14-years old, and spent the happiest time of their lives together, for Ishmael at least. As Japanese airforce bombed Pearl Harbor, and then the US goverment announced that Japanese-Americans on the island had to move, the loves had to be separated.
They could not be together just because of their different orgins; just because they have different colors of hair, skin, and eyes, and just because people saw them as different kinds. It's unfair. Ishmael has so much kindness in his heart. Who can imagine the enormous shock to them when they are force to be separated, even if they didn't have a memory about appearing in public as lovers. If they can marry several years later, the guy might not have such negative thoughts about the world, possibly. I still remember the last sentence from Chapter 12:" Twelve years later she would still see him this way, standing at the edge of the strawberry fields beneath the over of the silent cedars, a goodlooking boy with one arm held out, as if ask her to come back (Page 46,47). The emotional words touch me .I have to say the author has depicted the guy sucessful. Let's pay more attention to what will happen the next between the ex-lovers and the trail.