Red Scarf Girl

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Red Scarf Girl is a memoir written by Ji-li Jiang about her experiences during the Cultural Revolution of China. The book's foreword is written by David Henry Hwang.

The book begins when Ji-li Jiang was living in Shanghai, China. Ji-li was at the top of her class and the da-dui-zhang, or Student Council President, of her school. However, her father prevents her from auditioning for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy due to her poor class status. Her family is considered a "Black Family", because her grandfather was a landlord. Many people accuse Ji-li of her family's old ways, or "Four Olds". Ji-li must deal with the difficult choice between her educational future or her family. This book describes her experiences with the Cultural Revolution, including being betrayed by her closest friends, helping to destroy the Four Olds, attempting to become a Red Guard and the constant terror of arrest.

Book Summary

At the setting, China was already in a revolution, called the Cultural Revolution. The first seven chapters give you a picture of that, the beginning of the Cultural Revolution as seen from the eyes of the author when she was young, 12-year-old Ji-Li Jiang. Through several events, we are shown the details of the movements during the Cultural Revolution. Although selected to audition for the national dance troupe, Ji-li is dissuaded by her parents, who know their bad class background will prevent her from making it in anyway. The Campaign Against the Four Olds is illustrated when she and her friends watch as a crowd tears down a "superstitious" store sign and enthusiastically destroys it. The Da-zi-bao craze then begins, and everyone is assigned to write these posters. Some very easily write horrendous slanders against the teachers, but Ji-li cannot bring herself to attack her teachers. One day, she sees a da-zi-bao implying she has a relationship with a male teacher, and her parents tell her to stay at home to avoid embarrassment. When she comes to school again, she is nominated to become a Red Successor for the future Red Guards but her bad class background is revealed to the class by Du Hai and she is excluded from the nomination.

The rest of the book details how the Cultural Revolution begins to take Ji-li as its victim, as the Red Guards search her house in passing, ransacking and destroying it in the process. After her dad is falsely accused, he is detained, causing stress for the whole family. Because of his situation, Ji-li is dismissed from the Class Education Exhibition she was participating in. She and her siblings are not allowed to see or talk to her dad, who, when released from detainment, is put back in for allegedly being a landlord. Ji-li considers changing her name, but realizes that would entail a break with the family she loves. When summer labor is starting, Ji-li goes to the countryside, but faints from the hard work and is sent back home. At home, she finds out that her mother was writing a letter in an attempt to expose the Red Guards' cruelty. However, the Red Guards get a tip and search the house a second time, destroying everything again. Ji-li's loyalty to her family is put to the test as Thin Face threatens her to reveal the location of the letter, but she refuses. The letter is found, however, and Mom is forced to attend study groups and Grandma is forced to sweep the alleyways. By the close of the book, Ji-li has taken on her responsibility of taking care of the family, choosing to support those she loves rather than forsake it all for her future.

In the Epilogue, Ms. Jiang notes that the reason everyone believed so deeply in the Cultural Revolution was because they were brainwashed by Chairman Mao and the Communist Party, who have control over everything the public knows. Only after the ordeal did everyone realize all the horror came about due to political infighting. Ms. Jiang gives follow-ups on all the major characters, saying that her family eventually moved to the United States. However, she wanted to help her native land and those who, just like her, suffered from the Cultural Revolution, so she started her own company to promote cultural exchange between the East and the West.

Characters

Jiang Ji-li — is a 12-year-old girl who very much believes in Chairman Mao and Communist ideology, and dreams of becoming a Red Guard or a Liberation Army Dancer. Her dreams are shattered, however, when the Cultural Revolution begins, and the fervent campaign against the "Four Olds" uncovers her "black" (or disloyal to Communist China) family relations. Her situation progressively gets worse, as their family dismisses their housekeeper in fear of being accused for exploitation, her house is ransacked by the Red Guards, her father gets detained on a false accusation, her mother is forced to attend study groups as punishment for her husband's defiance, and her grandmother is made to sweep the alleyways because she was a landlord's wife. By the close of the story, she becomes increasingly unable to cope with the stress of having to take care of her family and watching her dreams fall to pieces, until she remembers her love and fidelity towards her family, as she was unwilling to betray them even when her future was at stake. She vows to do the best she can to get herself and her family through hard times.

Ji-li's family

Dad – Ji-li’s father, Xi-reng, who is an actor considered "black" due to his landlord father and a rightist accusation. After being falsely accused of listening to foreign radio (considered unpatriotic), he refuses to confess, and he is detained at his theater and forced to do hard labor. His situation plays a role in Ji-li's inner conflict, as Thin Face, a supervisor from his theater, often attempts to persuade her to break with her family in order to have a better future.

Mom – Ji-li's mother, Ying Chen, who works in an office and is willing to do anything for the safety of her family, to the point of actively destroying anything that might be considered "Four Olds" and cause trouble for them. After her husband is detained and she is forced to attend study groups, she becomes racked with stress, often experiencing bouts of Ménière's syndrome. In the story, she drafts a letter that attempts to expose the inhuman actions of the Red Guards during interrogation, but it is found by an impromptu Red Guard search. During the search, Ji-li reaffirms her loyalty to her family by refusing to reveal the location of the letter.

Grandma – Ji-li's grandma, who is a kind and caring woman who loves her grandchildren. Her husband was a landlord, which makes her the target of the Cultural Revolution. When the Red Guards start searching neighboring houses, she becomes worried to the point that Mom and Dad send her and the kids to a park nearby to relieve her stress. After the second Red Guard search, she is forced to sweep the alley twice a day. While she sweeps, Ji-li watches her through a window, noting that Grandma used to watch her from that same window, and that it was her turn to take care of Grandma now.

Ji-yong — Ji-li's 11-year-old little brother, who is mischievous and would rather play around in the alley than focus on his studies. He is known as "Iron-Ball" for his dark skin and sturdiness, and gets in fights easily when his honor is insulted, such as when he is called a black whelp for his class background. His two best friends, Xiao-cheng and Ming-ming, also have bad class backgrounds, and they are drawn together as their families are torn apart.

Ji-yun — Ji-li's 10-year-old little sister, who is sensitive and scolded often by Ji-li. In the story, her classmates call her a black whelp and throw her schoolbag out the window, taunting her to get it. When Ji-li finds her in tears, she scolds her before realizing what actually happened.

Song Po-po – the Jiangs' housekeeper, who works hard and tirelessly for the family. Although she is like family to them, she is dismissed because of the Jiangs' fears that they will be targeted for exploiting the working class. When she worked for the Jiangs she was not treated like staff, she was treated like family and helped raise the kids as her own.

Ji-li's teachers and bullies and one friend

An Yi — Ji-li’s best friend. Her family, like Ji-li's, also has their troubles, and her mother, a teacher, is detained for corrupting her children. In one incident related in the story and referred to in the epilogue, she is forced to climb a factory chimney as part of her "remolding." After An Yi's grandmother sees the Red Guards harassing an elderly man next door, the old woman panics and commits suicide, and she is cremated with no funeral or memorial rites.

Du Hai — Ji-li's classmate who becomes a Red Successor and bullies Ji-li because of her class status. His mother was the head of the Neighborhood Committee, but she is accused of resisting the revolution later in the story. He is often cruel to Ji-li and is a sort of ringleader of the Red Successors.

Yin Lan Lan — Ji-li's classmate who becomes a Red Successor and blames her bad grades on the teachers. She also bullies Ji-li to her chagrin as she often helped Yin with her homework and was a good friend.

Ducky — Ji-li's classmate who becomes a Red Successor. She is nicknamed "Echo" for repeating everything that other people say.

Teacher (An-Yi's mother) — Ji-li’s elementary school teachers, who treats Ji-li like her own daughter. She is accused of corrupting children and is harassed.

Chang Hong — Ji-li's Junior High classmate who enthusiastically supports Communism. Though she holds a prominent position, she is friendly towards Ji-li, supporting her and encouraging her to take action to guarantee a good future. She reveals to Ji-li that though her brother has severe epilepsy, she cannot allow personal ties to get in the way of revolutionary activities, and thus does not stay at home to take care of him (unlike Ji-li).

Bai Shan — Ji-li's Junior High classmate. He is a notable figure in the class and does what he thinks is right. He also appears to have feelings for Ji-li.

Lin — Ji-li's Junior High classmate who quietly and shyly helps her out. She slipped the cover of her "Precious Red Book" to Ji-li when she forgot to bring it, and came to her house in person to deliver a message.

Teacher Zhang — Ji-li's Junior High teacher who gains the class's respect during his first class. He nominates Ji-li to work on the school's Party Exhibition in spite of her class background, as he believes she can make her own future. ^[1]

As a short summary, Ji-Li Jiang goes through multiple internal conflicts, and will believe things about the cultural revolution.

References