Grandfather’s Pine Tree
The pine tree is grandfather’s pride and represents hope and beauty, as it is the only beautiful plant left in the family’s garden during the Japanese occupation. When the Japanese policemen cut it down, grandfather loses hope, becomes sick, and eventually dies.
Names
As a symbol of his hope that the Korean people might experience the exhilaration and beauty of spring again, grandfather made sure that Sookan’s mother included the Korean word ‘chun’, or spring, in the names of each of her brothers. Her oldest brother’s name was Hanchun, meaning “Korean spring”; her second brother, Jaechun, was called “spring again”; her third brother, Hyunchun, the “wise spring”; and her youngest brother, Inchun, the “benevolent spring.”
Red ID Books
The red ID books are a symbol of the Russian oppression, as the Koreans are forced to attend communist meetings where their books are stamped. Anyone who does not fully support the communist ideology is taken away.
Silver Hairpin
Sookan’s mother owns a silver hairpin, which belonged to her own mother. It symbolizes the cruelty of Japanese oppression because both her mother and the silversmith died in a fire set by Japanese soldiers, and the pin is the only thing that Sookan’s mother could recover from the site of her old home.
Soonkan's Lunchbox
On Sookan's first day of attending the Japanese school, Sookan’s mother gives her a precious lunchbox. This lunchbox is a symbol of caring for others because Sookan wants to share her food with a classmate. However, it is quickly taken away because the Japanese strictly prohibit Koreans from helping and supporting each other.
