Metaphor for Death
For many of the fighting men and the civilian populace the sight and sound of airplanes and warships serve as a death knell. They know that what typically follows after they see the planes and warships at a distance is the deafening thunder of bombs and cannon fire that would reduce everything into ashes and rubble. These machines therefore become the embodiment of death and destruction.
Metaphor for Loyalty
Jim notes various flags, company insignias, and all sorts of modern-day heraldic devices worn both by the soldiers and the various war machines they piloted. These colorful markings serve as more than just indications of their identity and nationality but also effectively serve as a metaphor for their loyalty, as in the case of the Japanese soldiers who place a deep, nearly reverential respect for the Japanese flag.
Metaphor for the Futility of War
Ruins of monuments, shops, and various establishments dot the landscape after the bombings that happen. What took years of purposeful labor was reduced to rubble in mere minutes and where once a thriving economic center was once located a smoldering heap of devastation now lay. The ruins--regardless of what establishment it was before it’s destruction--serve as a bitter metaphor for the futility of war, effectively saying that nothing good can ever come out of war, only death and debris.
Metaphor for Freedom
Airplanes and flight are metaphors for freedom. While interred in Lunghua Camp he copes with loneliness, boredom, and sadness by imagining that he is a fighter pilot of--ironically--a Japanese Zero fighter plane. Imagining himself as a fighter pilot allows him to pass the lonely hours in camp without succumbing to depression or madness. When the American forces arrive in Shanghai to free the city their airplanes become a metaphor for freedom not just for Jim but also for the beleaguered inhabitants of the city.
Metaphor for Maturity
Jim’s physical separation from parents care of the violence of war and his subsequent detainment in Lunghua Camp is metaphorical for his journey into maturity. While in the presence of his parents Jim is effectively a child and his concerns barely move away from the quotidian affairs such as school, play, and what to do with his time. When he is ripped away from his parents and left to his own devices he the things he took for granted like food, safety, and shelter are taken from him as well forcing him to get creative as well as courageous in order to survive.
