Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Girl with Seven Names, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Oppression, Human Rights, and North Korea
Identity and Nationality
Family
Kindness
Summary
Analysis
When Min-ho and mother attempted to cross the river, they ran straight into a border guard. Luckily, it was a guard Min-ho knew well, and he didn’t arrest them. The entire area is in lockdown, however, and they won’t be able to attempt another crossing for several hours. The next morning, Min-ho calls again. He and Mother have made it safely across and are hiding in an old house in Changbai. Hyeonseo runs outside. It has been over 11 years since she has seen her mother.
Eleven years without seeing her mother have been extremely difficult for Hyeonseo, which further reflects the importance of family in North Korean culture; despite all she’s gained, she’s still eager to reunite with her mother. The fact that the guard lets them go is evidence of the corruption of the secret police. The guard likely lets them go because Min-ho has made money for the guard, who is being oppressed by the Kim regime just as Hyeonseo’s family is.
Themes
When Hyeonseo is reunited with Min-ho and Mother, there is no time for talking. She rushes them to a cab and safely to her hotel room. Hyeonseo closes and locks the door, and Mother breaks down in tears. She has aged 12 years in the last 12 hours, Mother says. Hyeonseo can’t believe she is finally with her mother and brother. It has been nearly eight years since her short visit with Min-ho at Mr. Ahn’s house, and she doesn’t recognize the man standing in front of her. Suddenly, she is struck again with sadness. Min-ho will be crossing the river back into North Korea the very next day.
This, too, reflects just how close Hyeonseo is with her family and how long it has been since she has been with them. Lee says in the opening pages of the book that family togetherness is the most important thing in the world. Thus, the 11 years Hyeonseo spends away from her family must be absolute torture.
Themes
Suddenly, Min-ho’s phone rings. He was spotted going across the river with a woman (Mother is dead as far as the authorities are concerned), and he has been accused of human trafficking. If he returns now with the woman, there will be little trouble; however, if he returns alone, he will be prosecuted as a trafficker. Min-ho looks to Hyeonseo. He can’t go back, Min-ho says. “We’ll leave together,” Hyeonseo says. “We’ll do the best we can.”
Human trafficking is just one of the human rights abuses experienced by North Korean defectors. While it is impossible to ascertain how many people are trafficked crossing the border into China, it is estimated that 70% of them are women exploited for sex.
Themes
