Men in authority in Snow Falls on the Cedars possess great power and can manipulate an outcome based on their own personal biases. Horace Whaley's racist qualities emerge from their patriotism and war experiences. Horace Whaley, a medical examiner, is a Caucasian American who served his country in war. His patriotism and war experience allow him to become a closed-minded and racist individual, “Horace had served as a medical officer for twenty months in the Pacific theater and had suffered during that time from sleep deprivation and generalized and perpetual tropical. which had rendered him, in his mind, ineffective” (Guterson 46). After the morning break, Horace Whaley curses under his breath into the courtroom Bible and enters his name into the witness stand. As he lurks, preparing for his questions, the narrator provides insight into Horatio's past. His involvement in the war as a medical officer had made him mentally unjust due to the constant recurring corpses that Horace had to experience in the war. As a medical examiner in the geographically limited region of San Piedro, Horace's contribution to the case is very important. As a result, this causes the justice system to become unbalanced, as men with great authority possess powerful involvement in a case that can dramatically influence the judge's decision. The numerous psychological incidents that Horace possesses should make him unfit to cooperate as a valid witness, however, his statement is still justified. Guterson provides the reader with insight into Horatio's past experiences, which allows the reader to become deeply involved in the character's life. However, this insight serves as foreshadowing. The use of foreshadowing is intended to provide a slight glimpse into the...center of the card......Guterson, David. Snow falls on cedars. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. Print."Kendo." Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. Np, nd Web. 8 June 2014. .Lao, Mike. "JapanToday." Japan Today RSS. Np, March 14, 2014. Web. June 7, 2014. "Encyclopedia of Myths." Fruit in mythology. Np, nd Web. 7 June 2014. .Routledge, Clay. “Exploring the Psychological Motivations of Racism.” More than deadly. Np, July 31, 2010. Web. June 30, 2014. .Guterson, David. Snow falls on cedars. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. Print.