Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Individual Identity Under Communism
Class and Communism
Freedom of Expression vs. Propaganda
Political Oppression, Isolation, and Divided Communities
Storytelling, Family Connection, and History
Summary
Analysis
In Li-ling’s mind, Ai-ming’s story could end any number of ways. She wonders if Ai-ming became involved in something she couldn’t share with anyone, if she got lost “in the maze of detention centers” in the United States. Still, sometimes Li-ling imagines that in Vancouver, she and Ai-ming will meet in the apartment where her parents live, by chance.
Li-ling’s continued commitment to looking for Ai-ming, even after so long a separation, shows the strength of their bond. In spite of the many political barriers to their reunion—from U.S. immigration policy to Chinese repression—Li-ling has faith that she will again be connected with her beloved friend.
Themes
In Shanghai in 2016, Tofu Liu performs Sparrow’s sonata, The Sun Shines on the People’s Square. There are 30 people in the room, including Li-ling; Yiwen and her daughter; and Ai-ming’s great aunt, the Old Cat. Li-ling imagines that Sparrow, Kai, and Zhuli are also present. Hearing the music dedicated to her father, Li-ling thinks, “Ai-ming […] you and I are still here.”
This is a crucial moment in the story that highlights the importance of preserving family stories—and people’s ability to do so, even under a government that tries to repress individual expression and erase stories of dissent, creative expression, and freedom of speech. Sparrow’s experience lives on through the composition he leaves behind, and will continue to live on in the minds of all who hear it.
Themes
In 1990, in China’s far west, Ai-ming is with Swirl and Wen the Dreamer. They have been travelling together for 2,500 kilometers, and as they go, Swirl and Wen tell Ai-ming the stories of their family: about Zhuli, Lady Dostoevsky, and Big Mother Knife. Ai-ming often cries, even when the story is not a sad one. If they are able to cross the Chinese western border, they will send Ai-ming West, to Canada. When they arrive at the Kyrgyzstan border, Ai-ming meets an elderly woman who goes with her to Istanbul. From there, she goes to the Canada.
Wen the Dreamer and Swirl have lived most of their lives completely off the government’s radar which, while it has isolated them from their families, also seems to be a place of greater freedom. Their dedication to telling their family stories shows how strongly connected they are to their loved ones, even if they can’t see them often. It’s likely that this is where Ai-ming learns of many of the stories she later shares with Li-ling.
Themes
In 2016, Li-ling and Yiwen leave copies of The Book of Records online and in bookshops in Beijing, Shanghai, Dunhuang, and Hong Kong. They hope that one day, Ai-ming will find the book and she will know how to contact them. She imagines Ai-ming picking up her copy of The Book of Records and reading the first lines. “Tomorrow begins from another dawn, when we will be fast asleep. Remember what I say: not everything will pass.”
In this final moment in the story, Yiwen and Li-ling perpetuate her family’s tradition of maintain connections to one another through storytelling even under repressive circumstances. The final quote, in saying that “not everything will pass” suggests that family histories will remain in the memories of generations to come.
Themes
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