An analysis of chapter 16 of "Snow Falling On Cedars"

An analysis of chapter 16 in “Snow Falling On Cedars” by David Guterson.

This chapter focuses mainly on Ishmael Chambers and his past and begins by talking about his experiences of the war. The first paragraph describes how Ishmael became ill during training as a marine rifleman. When Guterson uses the phrase, “Other boys came and went, but he stayed,” this is symbolic of how he felt since he received Hatsue’s letter in the previous chapter, it shows how his life is on hold now, and he is watching others live their lives while he watches his pass him by.
“It was the kind of suffering, after all, he’d yearned for during the last five months, since receiving Hatuse’s letter. It was an easy, sleepy kind of languid fever, and so long as he did not try to move too much or exert himself unnecessarily he could live this way indefinitely.” This shows that he has felt broken since he read the letter. He feels that, although he knew in his heart that Hatsue did not l...