Colors #
The cover of this beautiful book is red and yellow. These are historically important symbolic colors. They are the only two colors for both China and the USSR’s flag.
Red is a contradiction. It is often the symbol of blood, the fluid neccessary for life and also the searing visual reminder of death. For Karl Marx, bloodshed is needed in order to take down the ruling class and establish a better world. True, blood is destruction, but it is also hope. Fully realized, when ideas become more important than any indiviual person, we can excuse the passing of individuals from the hands of violence because such exiting is the cost of accomplishing goals. If the task is too large and the goal so big, can we be sure we’re doing the right thing?
Gold is the symbol of wealth. On the USSR flag, it is the prosperity given to the united proletariat. On the Chinese flag, it is the wealth shared by a united China.
I learned recently, going back to red, that the bird called the cardinal is named after the religious title. A cardinal in the Catholic church is the person who is entrusted by the Pope to make pivotal decisions. They, with their votes, determine the current and future state of the Catholic church. The red they wear represents the blood of Jesus Christ, a man who died to preserve humanity. From death springs life.
Though the cover has red and yellow, the inside of the book doesn’t really. It has a red cardinal who appears only a few times and that is it.
The rest of the book is white, gray and blue. I’m not sure if there is a symbolic reason for this. Maybe it’s just an art choice.
The Nature of War #
Calvin Engel and James #
These two characters are the hinges of the story. The author paints one side as more worthy of our sympathy than the other. Engel is a wolf and James a rabbit. By the end of the book, James’ plan of killing hundreds of people is carried out by his naive son while Engel has killed one person. James’ side includes his soft faced accomplice, his two kind and determined children and their care taker. Oh, there’s also a cute bear priest.