Little Tiger

The character of Little Tiger is a symbol for Chunyu's past. Throughout the entire novel, Little Tiger is a constant foreboding presence that augurs something bad. When she is imprisoned by the Japanese, he is a sort of lifeline for her, but after his fingers are shot off by Kobayashi, he blames her for what happened and continues to come around and demand money from her. He is a constant reminder of her past that she just cannot escape.

Blood

Blood is a symbol for what Chunyu needs to sacrifice in order to give herself and her daughter a better life. During the famine, she sells huge amounts of her blood in order to make extra money to put food on the table. The fact that this substance is quite literally her life blood just goes to show how much of herself she is putting...