War trash
The title of the novel reveals the intended purpose of writing the memoir from the war. It reveals the main theme, which is the unfortunate fate of men sacrificed in the war for the hopes of glory and the greater good, but according to the narrator end up being war trash that nobody wants and who can only hope to return to their families.
Red piece of cloth
As Yu Yuan is finally leaving the first prison after declaring his choice of wanting to go to mainland China, he sees a piece of reddish cloth dangling atop a bamboo pole. He recognizes it as a self-made national flag of Communists. This gives him and others hope because it reveals that this other place is controlled by Communists, meaning that there is still hope that he may return home.
Tattoos
Pro-nationalists at the war camp initiate violence and humiliation towards the communist prisoners. One way of this is forcefully tattooing their bodies with offensive phrases towards Communism. Yu Yuan gets one of these tattoos, but ironically, the same tattoo will prove helpful later on in his efforts to survive and finally, as an old man it is a shameful and painful reminder of the past.
