The Need for Love

The need for love is an overriding theme throughout the book, though love becomes secondary to the will of the Communist Party. There are several examples of this, including the illicit affair of Little Green. The attitude of the Party is that whenever there is a man and woman involved in an unapproved love affair, the man is to blame. In the case of Little Green, the man is accused of rape and is summarily executed which drives Little Green insane.

The efforts to control the natural instinct of young men and women result in hidden affairs and efforts to find sexual release. For example, when Min meets for a sexual encounter with the Supervisor at a place called Peace Park, they find that there are many people hiding in the bushes. Some are also meeting for sexual encounters and some are merely masturbating. Min...