Carl Heine, Sr. Character Analysis in Snow Falling on Cedars

Carl Heine, Jr.’s father. He died of a heart attack in 1944. Carl Sr. owned and worked land before his death. He was a good, principled man who—unlike his wife, Etta—did not succumb to the widespread bigotry against people of Japanese descent. In his lifetime, Carl Sr. secretly sold seven acres of his strawberry field to Zenhichi Miyamoto, Kabuo’s father, as it was illegal for non-citizens of Japanese descent to own land in the U.S. at the time.

Carl Heine, Sr. Character Timeline in Snow Falling on Cedars

The timeline below shows where the character Carl Heine, Sr. appears in Snow Falling on Cedars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Carl was of German descent, and “from old-time island stock.” His grandfather and father ( Carl Sr. ) had been strawberry farmers. Carl’s mother, Etta, had sold his father’s strawberry fields after... (full context)

...testify. Etta Heine is a weathered old woman who spent decades working alongside her husband, Carl Sr. , in the strawberry fields. Etta was born in Bavaria and speaks with an accent.... (full context)

Carl Sr. had a heart attack and died in 1944. Alvin Hooks, the prosecutor, is excited to... (full context)

...house: Zenhichi asked to speak with her husband, and the two men left the room. Carl Sr. returned, explaining that Zenhichi wanted to buy seven acres of his land. Etta insisted that... (full context)

...to the witness stand to continue with her testimony. Etta tells Hooks that Zenhichi and Carl Sr. had worked out a “lease-to-own” contract for the land. Zenhichi would pay Carl $250 twice... (full context)

...a lease; in reality, however, the lease agreement served as a legal loophole through which Carl Sr. could sell the seven acres to Zenhichi Miyamoto. At any rate, explains Judge Fielding, the... (full context)

...their last installments: people of Japanese ancestry had been ordered to relocate to internment camps. Carl Sr. was appalled by this news, but Etta was less sympathetic: “They’re Japs,” she told her... (full context)

...to figure out how they’d handle the land in light of the family’s forthcoming relocation. Carl Sr. expressed sympathy. Etta scoffed as Zenhichi tried to discuss payments and as he offered to... (full context)

...her testimony: Zenhichi, she reveals, offered to pay the Heines $120 on the spot, but Carl Sr. refused to take it, as he knew that the Miyamotos would need that money for... (full context)

Kabuo replied that he had talked to Ole, who had no idea that Carl Sr. had sold the seven acres to Zenhichi. Etta scoffed at the idea that she should... (full context)