The odor saturating the field drenched father’s soul and would be his constant companion during cruel months and years ahead.
The narrator foreshadowed the extent of the war between Japan and China. The quotes show that it would be a long war with many dead and wounded.
The black soil of my hometown, always fertile, was especially productive, and the people who tilled it were especially decent…
The quote shows the love that the narrator has for his hometown. He respects the people who till the productive land that provided the livelihood for the people.
If not for the sake of the monk, stay for the Buddha. If not for the sake of the fish, stay for the water. If not for my sake, stay for little Douguan.
Grandma was pleading with Uncle Arhat to stay with them. This was because she wanted him to stay and help them with the farm. Uncle Arhat decided to stay to help the out and became their foreman.
Later he would grow into a tall husky man who could kill without batting an eye.
The narrator says the words in regards to his father. The father of the narrator was a child soldier. The experience in war from when he was small made him remorseless to the people that he killed.
Instead, he became our foreman, right up to the day the Japanese confiscated our mules…
The quote shows the effect of war on civilians. The narrator and his family lost their mules which were used to provide for them.
