Inequality

The book begins with Cheuh-hui and Cheuh-min trudging home in the cold because Cheuh-hui refuses to ride in a sedan chair and make other men suffer so he can travel in comfort. Throughout the story, Cheuh-hui finds examples of inequality, and these inequalities make him want to rebel against the traditional family in which he has grown up.

One example of inequality that bothers Cheuh-hui is when his uncles gather during the New Year's festivities to make fireworks. They hire dancers to move the large dragons they have ordered to be constructed. During the celebration, the uncles throw fireworks at the dragon and try to burn it. In so doing, they burn the dancers and laugh as the dancers writhe in pain. Cheuh-hui is outraged at this behavior and thinks it is immoral to treat someone this way just because they have been paid.

The deaths portrayed in...