Jim, the protagonist, is loosely based off author J.G. Ballard as a boy. He is a child of the Second World War. At the novel’s start, his life and imagination are saturated with images and discussion of conflict. As he astutely asks himself, “had his brain been damaged by too many war films?” (5) His formative years dominated by war, Jim internalizes the ideals of courage and martial prowess fed to him by the endless newsreels. This leads him to valorize fighter pilots, especially Japanese ones, who appear to epitomize these values. It also puts him in good stead when he is separated from his parents. His acceptance of war, combined with his natural resourcefulness and independence, helps him survive in the hostile and chaotic environment after the Japanese annex the International Settlement. Likewise, he endures weeks alone in the detention center and the arduous journey to Lunghua camp by embracing the challenge and adventure of the conflict.

However, Jim’s relationship to the war starts to change. Although at first, “he had learned to enjoy the war” (164), relishing the sight of planes and war-scarred landscapes, it eventually has a darker effect on him. His identity becomes so enmeshed with war that he cannot envision a world without it.