A Summary of Chapter 25 of Ha Jin's novel War Trash.
Chapter 25 begins by Yu Yuan figuring out why the Communist Party considered the latest massacre in Compound 7, where 59 men were killed and 109 men seriously injured, a victory. Yuan comes to the conclusion that despite the lives lost in the battle his leaders believed the event to be a victory because it was newsworthy. At this point Yuan is torn between what he feels towards the Communists. He is friends with many of them and for that reason he accepts what they believe but at the same time it enrages him how little they care for human life.
Yuan's leader in the camp, Commissar Pei, hopes to generate a response from the Chinese government with the result of the battle. However, the POWs wait weeks without any news their battle had gained national attention. The silence from the mainland was leaving the men feeling lonesome and deserted by the country they so desperately sought to defend. Yu Yuan starts to realize he is becoming familiar with the solitary he faced within the camp. That is very surprising to him because earlier in the novel he states that Chinese men have an overwhelming need to be among their own people. They feel more comfortable in groups than they do by themselves.
Because of the battle on October 1 the Americans had begun stepping up their security throughout the camp. The compound Yuan is located in still has the flag they raised in the previous chapter hidden within their compound. One day the GI's burst in and searched for it, finding it in a wall somewhere the GI's were prancing around, very proud of themselves. A young man, Shenning, was pressured into retrieving the flag and a chase ensued with which a few other Chinese men helped Shenning destroy the flag before the GI's could take it back to their superiors. Because of this act of rebellion, the men involved in the chase were thrown into a pit to be punished. One of the men was murdered that night and Yuan contemplated whether or not a piece of nylon cloth was worth the extra life that was sacrificed.
Analysis:
Through this chapter Yuan is dealing with his love/hate relationship with his homeland and their now communist beliefs. He wants to believe that China has not forgotten about their POWs, however they have received no evidence that they still cared whether or not the POWs were alive. This lack of respect for human lives is one of the things that causes Yuan to dislike the Communists. After the massacre in Compound 7 Yuan realized just how dedicated the Communists were to protecting their country, even if it came at a huge cost. To the Communists lives were dispensable. He does, however, commend the men who were willing to sacrifice their lives to the cause because of their passion and bravery for their country. He says on page 250 "I had noticed that there was a kind of religious fervor in some of these men, who were capable of laying down their lives for an idea. However silly the idea might be, the act of self-sacrifice made them truly remarkable." He respects these men for being willing to lay down their lives for the idea of Communism, but at the same time he finds it ridiculous and not worth the cost.
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