How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Home, I thought. Wasn't a home a private place? A place where the family could feel secure? How could strangers come and search through our secrets? If Grandpa was a landlord, they could confiscate all his things. But I was not a landlord. Why did they have to search through all my things? (8.123)
We guess not. It turns out there's no privacy when it comes to the Cultural Revolution, and everyone's business is public knowledge. Ji-li struggles with this because she doesn't want everyone and their mom knowing about her family's class status.
Quote #5
It was not easy to break with your mother. I could not imagine actually doing it. They had to live in the same room. Would he eat the food she had cooked? Would he speak to her at all? (9.14)
Aunt Xi-wen's son stops talking to her because he doesn't want to be associated with her class status any more. Ouch. The Cultural Revolution is ripping families apart, and the Red Guards aren't necessarily against this. They value the cause more than anything else.
Quote #6
I suddenly wished I could live at school. Then I could forget what was happening, and I could laugh again. I wished that I had been born into a trouble-free family. (11.34)
Oh snap. Ji-li is going through the ringer, but this is still a little harsh—her family has never done anything to hurt her. Thing is, she realizes she doesn't want to have a family weighing her down anymore. She even thinks about changing her name. What makes her stick around?