Red Scarf Girl Epilogue Summary

  • The epilogue takes place many years later, when Ji-li lives in America and can tell us where everybody ended up.
  • Her family kept on working. Her grandma swept the alley twice a day, while her dad remained in prison for a while longer. His name wasn't cleared until 1980, fourteen years after this whole debacle started.
  • Ji-yong lives in Seattle and works for a tourism company.
  • Ji-li's parents live with Ji-yun and her family nearby, where Ji-yun teaches at a community college.
  • Their grandma died at the ripe old age of ninety-eight; Song Po-po died of a stroke.
  • Chang Hong and An Yi work in factories in China.
  • As for Ji-li, she got a university degree in Hawaii and teaches now. When people ask her why she didn't hate Mao, she knows it's because she was brainwashed.
  • The Communist Party told them what to wear, read, think, and how to act. It's no wonder everyone fell in line.
  • It wasn't until Mao's death that Ji-li began questioning what they were told.
  • Now, Ji-li tries to bridge the gap between China and America. She loves the freedom she enjoys in America, especially that she doesn't have to worry about what she says or thinks—but she doesn't hate China. It will always be a part of her, no matter where she goes.