Fear

Fear is one of the themes of the book. The period of the Cultural Revolution was a time of fear, confusion, and violence in which the rules and traditions of the Chinese society break down. Teenagers and college students roam the streets and accost people if they think they are dressed wrong. The Red Guards conduct searches of people's homes, as they do the Jiangs. They live in fear of the searches and Grandma and the children sit in the park all day long. The family has a signaling system with a map to indicate whether or not it is safe to come home. Ji-li and her family spend the better part of two years living in fear, especially once her father is detained. He has to attend late night meetings at the theater where he is criticized, ridiculed and pressured to confess. The family always feared that...