Red Sorghum as a symbol of War
In the book, a young boy notices that the sorghum was red and went home shouting that because the sorghum was red, the Japanese were coming and that compatriots should prepare themselves for war. As the book ends, the narrator finds that red sorghum was being chocked by another type of sorghum. This symbolized the coming of peace.
Allegory of war lords
Dogs are an allegory of greedy blood-thirsty war lords. The dogs eat human flesh that is plentiful due to the mass murder of people. This is similar to the behavior of war lords who kill people and steal their property for personal gain.
The stars as symbols
The stars in the night sky are seen as symbols that signify events in a person’s life. The narrator says that the ladle of Ursa Major signified death whereas the basket of Sagittarius represented life. The narrator’s father and uncle had been out at night when they observed the stars.
Motif of Stories Within a Story
In the book, several stories are told in parallel with the main story. The main story is that of war where Commander Yu and the narrator’s father set out for war against the Japanese. The stories within the main story include the story of the brutal murder of Uncle Arhat, the story when the narrator and Uncle Arhat went crabbing and the stories about Grandma. These stories build the characters.
Motif of Pain and Suffering
In the book, there are several instances of pain and suffering. This was due to the war between Japan and China. People were killed, their livelihoods were taken away and they were left desolate. Grandma was a wine maker and the mules that she used for that purpose were taken by the Japanese. Uncle Arhart was brutally murdered by the Japanese and this caused emotional pain to his family.
