Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Hundred Flowers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Redemption
Journeys and Growth
Suffering, Strength, and Resilience
Home and Family
The Promises and Failures of Communism
Summary
Analysis
Wei sleeps fretfully on the train, dreaming that he’s made Liang angry. Only one of their arguments ever lasted for more than a few hours. Just before the Communist Party took over, he lied to her to avoid going to a political rally. He didn’t want to risk upsetting his comfortable life of academic research. He hoped Liang wouldn’t go alone and she hadn’t. But she resented his unwillingness to support her. The sky beyond Wei’s window lightens as dawn approaches. As he crosses the halfway point of his journey, his thoughts turn from home toward Sheng. When the train pulls into Linxiang, he and Tian disembark and eat a warm breakfast at the train station before reluctantly climbing aboard for the next leg of the trip.
By refusing to support Liang’s one attempt to take a political stand, Wei failed to reciprocate the love and support she showed him. Thus, it's possible to interpret his choice to write the letter as a way to redeem himself for this mistake, to belatedly give voice to Liang’s beliefs. But in doing so, he made a second, almost identical mistake. He acted alone even though his choices affected Sheng and Kai Ying. As Wei travels north, it becomes clear that he has made the same mistake over and over and that he has much to make up for with this journey.
Themes
