Zhao's Shirt

The white designer shirt that Zhao's father gives him before departing Shanghai symbolizes the past. When he gives Zhao the shirt, Zhao's father tells him that wearing it always helped him feel strong in times of difficulty. Though Zhao wears the shirt on his way to X, and on his first days in town, the other boys soon rip it from his body, and throw it into a cesspool. This act symbolizes Zhao's need to let go of his past in order to survive the present. Ultimately, the shirt cannot protect him against the trials who he will soon encounter.

Flies

The flies that the boys add to their thin soup symbolize survival. Though this act initially disgusts Zhao, he soon realizes that if he does not consume the flies, he will never have the strength to survive life and work in X. The flies...