Chapter 18 Summary: February 1959

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Summary

The chapter opens in Keelung in February 1959, the second day of the Lunar New Year. Haiwen is roused from a heavy, alcohol-soaked sleep by Lau Fu, who delivers devastating news: Li Tsin, the youngest and most sensitive of their group, is dead. Li Tsin had tried to steal a fisherman’s boat, shouting that he would row back to the mainland. When the fisherman pulled a knife, Li Tsin—who could not swim—jumped into the harbor and drowned. Zenpo had tried to intervene but failed in the dark and strong current. Lau Fu also mentions that he has just filed a marriage request, planning to marry a young Taiwanese woman who is pregnant from a relationship she won’t discuss. He explains that he needs something to hold onto, a compromise to survive. Haiwen is shaken, thinking of Li Tsin’s hopefulness and the despair that must have driven him. He reflects on the suicides that have plagued soldiers as hope of returning home fades. He cries for the first time in a long while, feeling guilt and a strange envy.

Later, Zenpo arrives and drags Haiwen to a brothel. Haiwen leaves without participating, disturbed by the idea of betraying Suchi, the woman he left behind in Shanghai. He wanders to a stall where a group of Taiwanese men are playing liar’s dice. Initially wary, Haiwen offers cigarettes and attempts to join the game, learning a few words of Taiwanese. The men warm to him, and they play for over forty minutes, laughing and joking. But Zenpo, who has followed, misinterprets a joke as an insult and attacks the men, sparking a brawl. Haiwen tries to stop him but is elbowed in the face. Zenpo is struck with a bottle and bloodied. Afterward, Zenpo argues that the locals cannot be trusted, citing the 1947 uprising and his own humiliations. He insists that winning hearts is impossible and that ruthlessness is necessary. Haiwen counters that winning people’s hearts matters, but Zenpo is inconsolable, weeping and admitting he fears they will never go home.

Haiwen returns to his hut, drinks the remaining kaoliang, and lies in bed, tormented by the possibility that Zenpo is right. He flips through his mental gallery of loved ones’ faces, adding Li Tsin to the list, determined not to forget. The leaking roof’s irregular drips agitate him until he kicks the bucket. He then rides his bicycle to the harbor, where he stares at the sea and imagines Li Tsin swimming home, buoyed by longing. He recalls his own map with a line from Keelung to Shanghai—680 kilometers—and wonders if love for home could carry a man across the water.

On his way back, he stops at an oyster omelet stand. The owner’s daughter, Tsai Linyee, serves him and speaks fluent Mandarin. They talk about Shanghai, which she romanticizes, and about language and curses. She is open and warm, and Haiwen finds himself charmed. She invites him to return, but as he rides home, he realizes he cannot go back. The brief forgetting of his grief alarms him, and he resolves to keep his memories intact, even if it means avoiding the connection that might ease his pain.

Key Events

Lau Fu reports Li Tsin’s drowning after a failed boat theft; Zenpo’s rescue attempt fails.
Lau Fu announces his marriage request, a pragmatic compromise.
Haiwen grieves Li Tsin, feeling guilt and envy, and cries for the first time in years.
Zenpo drags Haiwen to a brothel; Haiwen leaves without participating, feeling he would betray Suchi.
Haiwen joins a dice game with Taiwanese men, bridging the language barrier and earning their goodwill.
Zenpo misinterprets a joke, attacks the men, and a brawl ensues; Haiwen is injured trying to stop him.
Zenpo delivers a bitter tirade about ethnic distrust and the necessity of ruthlessness, citing the 1947 incident.
Haiwen returns home, drinks, and rides to the harbor, reflecting on Li Tsin and the 680-kilometer distance to Shanghai.
At an oyster omelet stand, Haiwen meets Tsai Linyee, who engages him in a warm conversation about Shanghai and language.
Haiwen decides he will not return to the stand, fearing that forgetting his grief would betray his memories.

Character Development

Haiwen is consumed by grief and survivor’s guilt. Li Tsin’s death forces him to confront his own despair and envy—he admits that part of him understands why his friend jumped. His refusal to move on, to “put down roots” as Lau Fu does, is both a source of strength and a cage. His brief connection with Tsai Linyee shows his capacity for human warmth, but he deliberately withdraws, choosing to preserve his memories over easing his pain.

Zenpo emerges as a tragic figure, hardened by years of humiliation and loss. His violent overreaction to the dice game stems from deep-seated fear and resentment. His outburst reveals his desperation—he weeps, admitting he fears they will never go home. His parroting of the ruthless “kill a thousand innocent men” ideology shows how despair can twist a man into extremism.

Lau Fu represents a pragmatic path: he chooses compromise and marriage as a way to survive. His decision contrasts with Haiwen’s stubborn hope, highlighting the different ways soldiers cope with displacement.

Tsai Linyee is a new character who offers a bridge between mainlanders and Taiwanese. Her curiosity about Shanghai and her ease with Mandarin make her a potential connection for Haiwen, but also a threat to his carefully maintained grief.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Longing for home and the sea as barrier/path: The sea is both the obstacle that traps Haiwen and the imagined route Li Tsin might have taken home. The 680-kilometer line on Haiwen’s map symbolizes the unbridgeable distance.
Grief and survivor’s guilt: Haiwen’s “stone of grief” and his guilt over not protecting Li Tsin drive his actions. His envy of Li Tsin’s desperate attempt reveals his own hopelessness.
Memory as preservation and fear of forgetting: Haiwen’s nightly ritual of recalling loved ones’ faces is a defense against erasure. His decision to avoid Tsai Linyee stems from his fear that forgetting would betray his past.
Ethnic division and language as barrier/bridge: The dice game shows how a few words can build connection, while Zenpo’s violence shows how suspicion can destroy it. The insult “kakam’a” (pig) underscores the deep-seated animosity.
Alcohol as escape: Haiwen and Zenpo both turn to drink to numb pain, but it only deepens their despair.
Marriage as compromise: Lau Fu’s marriage is a pragmatic surrender, contrasting with Haiwen’s refusal to give up hope.
The leaking roof’s rhythm: The irregular drips symbolize the disruption of Haiwen’s internal order, his inability to find peace.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter crystallizes the novel’s central tension between hope and despair. Li Tsin’s death is a stark reminder of the psychological cost of displacement, and Haiwen’s reaction—grief, envy, and a stubborn refusal to move on—defines his character. The chapter also deepens the exploration of ethnic conflict, showing both the possibility of connection (the dice game, Tsai Linyee) and the forces that destroy it (Zenpo’s violence, the 1947 memory). Haiwen’s decision to reject Tsai Linyee’s invitation is a pivotal moment: he chooses memory over healing, setting the stage for his ongoing struggle. The chapter also introduces a potential new relationship that could challenge Haiwen’s isolation, making his choice all the more poignant.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Haiwen feel envy toward Li Tsin’s death?

Haiwen envies Li Tsin’s desperate act because it was a release from the endless waiting and hopelessness. Li Tsin’s attempt to swim home, even knowing he couldn’t swim, represents a kind of faith that Haiwen sometimes wishes he could emulate. Haiwen admits that on the “knife-edge of despair and hope,” he too believes longing might be powerful enough to carry him home. Li Tsin’s death is tragic, but it also embodies a freedom Haiwen cannot allow himself.

How does the dice game scene illustrate the theme of language as a bridge?

Haiwen’s willingness to learn a few Taiwanese words—even mispronouncing them—breaks down the initial hostility of the men. The game becomes a shared activity where laughter and competition transcend ethnic boundaries. The men correct his pronunciation, and he learns the difference between counting and referring to numbers, showing that language is a skill that can be learned and a tool for connection. The scene contrasts sharply with Zenpo’s refusal to see the men as anything but enemies.

What does Haiwen’s decision not to return to the oyster omelet stand reveal about his character?

Haiwen’s decision reveals his deep commitment to preserving his memories and his fear that any new connection might dilute his grief. He is alarmed that talking to Tsai Linyee made him forget his pain, even briefly. He chooses to keep his “gallery of loved ones’ faces” intact, even if it means rejecting a potential source of comfort. This decision underscores his stubborn hope—he refuses to let go of the past, even when it causes him suffering.