The cedar forest is when Ishmael and Hatsue journey to when they want to be alone together. They frequently go to the forest, where there is a hollow cedar tree that “they’d played in together when they were only nine years old.” When Ishmael begins to develop serious feelings for Hatsue, he follows her home from the strawberry fields one day and she leads him to this tree. It is within this tree that their relationship develops. Both of them feel that the hollow tree provides them with a sense of privacy and security. The racism on the island of San Piedro means that Hatsue and Ishmael cannot have an open relationship together. They both know this from the start. “Do you think this is wrong? Other people do”. Ishmael and Hatsue, both have typical adolescent feelings towards each other and perhaps it is these feelings that brought them together. Throughout her relationship with Ishmael, Hatsue knows in her heart that what she is doing is wrong. Guterson adds to the tension by having Ishmael ask Hatsue to marry him. This puts a great deal of pressure on Hatsue because she wants to be loyal to Ishmael, while at the same time also wants to stay loyal to her family. When they have sexual intercourse, Hatsue pushes Ishmael away and says, “It wasn’t right.” She knows that it is pointless to try and have a relationship with a “hakujin”. In the end her guilt leads her to break up with Ishmael although he himself does not want to do so. This clearly has a big effect on Ishmael, who afterwards joins the army to help fight against the Japanese. Guterson shows the combined effect of Hatsue breaking up with Ishmael and Ishmael fighting against the Japanese, when he is forced to have his wounded arm amputated. “That fucking goddamn Jap bitch”.
The strawberry fields are where Ishmael’s fascination with Hatsue begins to blossom. He takes to voyeurism when she goes home and cannot seem to concentrate on his work while Hatsue is around him. “Ishmael, from three rows odd, watched Hatsue at her work.” Ishmael follows her home simply to catch a glimpse of her. It is Ishmael’s first experience of young love and even the simplest thing that Hatsue does, such as eating a berry seems, sensual and exciting to him. “He had never felt so happy, and he felt a sort of ache that this was happening and would never again happen in just this way no matter how long he lived.”
The sea is what separates the island of San Piedro from the mainland. Guterson gives San Piedro a sense of vulnerability and isolation from the rest of the world. The sea is where the murder itself takes place. Carl Heine’s boat is seen floating adrift with all the lights on, by Abel Martinson who is the deputy sheriff. He reports this to Art Moran and they take a boat out to investigate. They eventually find the body of Carl in the fishing nets in the water. They have some trouble lifting his body, which is obviously saturated in water, into the boat. This scene sets the mood for the rest of the play and helps to add to the tension of the novel. The sea is one of the many uncontrollable aspects of San Piedro. However by contrast, the sea is also the setting for Ishmael and Hatsue’s first kiss when Ishmael confesses that he has “always liked Hatsue.” This is a very significant part of the novel and Ishmael’s feelings for Hatsue last throughout the novel, and only diminish at one point during the war when he is fighting the Japanese. His arm has to be amputated and he says “that fucking goddam Jap bitch”. However he ultimately overcomes this racism by choosing to give Hatsue the shipping records that can prove Kabuo’s innocence. He may do this partly because he knows that having Kabuo back will make Hatsue happy, and his feelings for her allow him to do this.
Ishmael’s struggle to come to terms with losing Hatsue and the loss of his arm at the hands Japanese machine-gun fire portrays the fight against racial
prejudice that run throughout the community. Ishmael cannot help but feel hatred toward those that caused him to lose his arm. Coupled with Hatsue’s betrayal, Ishmael at times finds it difficult not to blame the Japanese for his unhappiness and loneliness. All of this helps add to the tension and atmosphere of the novel.
