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
A few days after Kai Ying discovered Suyin stealing food, she comes down in the morning to find the girl waiting in the kitchen. Suyin apologizes for taking the food, explaining her terror at the prospect of ending up on the streets again. She takes all the stolen food out of her sack and places it on the table. Realizing she can’t imagine how hard Suyin’s life must have been, Kai Ying silently fills the bag all the way and hands it back to the girl, telling her to keep it so that she will never feel worried. Then, she opens the courtyard gate to her first patient.
Like Wei, Suyin realizes that she’s made a terrible mistake. Ignoring it won’t help, nor can she undo the original action of stealing the food. Instead, she redeems herself in Kai Ying’s eyes by choosing honesty—and Kai Ying chooses to forgive. And even without all the details, Suyin discloses enough about her past to remind Kai Ying that there’s a lot to be grateful for, despite her own difficulties.
Themes
