The color of one’s skin is a motif that symbolizes the unfair treatment of Malayans under colonial rule. It shows the similarities between the British and the Japanese, even if the Japanese present themselves as an alternative that rejects Western ideals and standards. The first time the concept of skin color is invoked is in Chapter 2, which describes Cecily’s Eurasian heritage. Even if Cecily possesses some inherited white features, the Europeans still view her as an uncivilized member of Malayan society.

Skin color is brought up again when Abel is introduced. Among his family members, Abel has the fairest skin color. This makes him stand out among his peers at the labor camp, causing him to be an easy target for Japanese harassment. The novel explains that the reason for this aggression is that the Japanese see Abel as a representative of the white enemy they have come to expel. At one point, the camp supervisor, Master Akiro, makes a show of this by wounding Abel and comparing his blood with that of another boy whose skin his darker than Abel’s. He shows that both boys bleed the same color, suggesting that they are both equally despicable. Ironically, this shows how Malayans are poorly treated by both of their colonizers in the novel, either being seen as too Asian or too white to fit with the rest of the group.