Red Scarf Girl

Red Scarf Girl

by Ji-li Jiang

Ming-ming’s Father Character Analysis

Ming-ming’s father, whose son Ming-ming is one of Ji-yong Jiang’s best friends, was a solider for the Chinese Communist Party many years ago. Then, he became the Party Secretary at the Shanghai Institute of Political Science and Law. But during the upheaval and political purges of the Cultural Revolution, his colleagues accuse him of being a traitor and detain him for several weeks. Ultimately, he dies. Though his colleagues tell the family that he died by suicide, Ming-ming, Xiao-chang, Ji-yong, and others suspect that they might have beaten him to death and concealed the murder. Along with Xiao-cheng’s father, Sang Hong-zhen, and Liu Shao-qi, Ming-ming’s father illustrates the ways in which the Cultural Revolution allowed for political purges and the persecution of people who used to be considered loyal Party members.

Ming-ming’s Father Quotes in Red Scarf Girl

The Red Scarf Girl quotes below are all either spoken by Ming-ming’s Father or refer to Ming-ming’s Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Conformity vs. Loyalty Theme Icon
).

Chapter 14: The Class Education Exhibit Quotes

The woman from the theater spoke. “It’s really not such a hard thing to do. The key is your class stance. The daughter of our former Party Secretary resolved to make a clean break with her mother. When she went onstage to condemn her mother, she actually slapped her face. Of course, we don’t mean that you have to slap your father’s face. The point is that as long as you have the correct class stance, it will be easy to testify.” Her voice grated on my ears.

“There is something you can do to prove you are truly Chairman Mao’s child.” Thin-Face spoke again. “I am sure you can tell us some things your father said and did that showed his landlord and rightist mentality.” I stared at the table, but I could feel his eyes boring into me. “What can you tell us?”

Related Characters: Ji-li Jiang (speaker), Thin-Face (speaker), Xiao-cheng’s Father, Chairman Mao, Sang Hong-zhen, Ming-ming’s Father, Shan Shan , Dad, Jiang Xi-Wen
Page Number and Citation: 225-226
Explanation and Analysis:
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Ming-ming’s Father Character Timeline in Red Scarf Girl

The timeline below shows where the character Ming-ming’s Father appears in Red Scarf Girl. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8: A Search in Passing
Class, Power, and Justice Theme Icon
Identity and Individualism Theme Icon
...it’s a real Liberation Army cap that Ji-yong received as a gift from his friend Ming-ming’s father . Grandma counsels Ji-yong to forget about it—it’s not worth stirring up trouble. But he... (full context)
Chapter 9: Fate
Class, Power, and Justice Theme Icon
The Power of Propaganda  Theme Icon
Ji-yong comes home to tell Ji-li that Ming-ming’s family just found out that Ming-ming’s father died by suicide. The Party cremated the body before Ming-ming’s mother could see it. The... (full context)
Conformity vs. Loyalty Theme Icon
Class, Power, and Justice Theme Icon
Identity and Individualism Theme Icon
...about Old Qian collapsing from heat exhaustion, about Xiao-cheng’s father on the truck, and about Ming-ming’s father dangling from a noose. She asks if An Yi blames her mother for getting herself... (full context)