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
Hyeonseo wakes to the smell of fire and the sound of Mother crying. Father yanks Hyeonseo to her feet, urging her to run. Outside with her mother and her brother, Min-ho, Hyeonseo is shocked to see her father run back inside the burning house. The roof is beginning to collapse, and after what seems like minutes, Hyeonseo’s father emerges carrying two portraits. He hasn’t saved their possessions, heirlooms, or money—just the portraits.
The portraits, which Lee later confirms are of the Great Leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, are symbolic of the power of the Kim regime in North Korea. Upon discovering his house is on fire, the portraits are the first and only thing Father saves after ensuring his family’s safety. The regime has each citizen conditioned for this kind of absolute loyalty.
Themes
Father received some aviation fuel from some soldiers as a bribe, and when Mother transferred it into another container, she splashed it on the cooking coals. The fire was nearly instant, and now Hyeonseo watches as the house collapses. Neither her mother nor her father seems particularly upset. Their home is just like other North Korean homes: small, only two rooms, and full of state-issue furniture. Hyeonseo’s parents understand that homes and countries don’t matter. All that matters is family and togetherness. The street watches as Hyeonseo’s family stands outside their burning house, the two portraits safely tucked under her father’s arm. Saving the portraits should be enough to gain him official favor, but he is already under surveillance.
The meager home of Hyeonseo and her family reflects the oppression of the North Korean regime. Citizens are supplied with the bare necessities only—and sometimes not even the necessities are provided—and anything extra, including heating fuel, must be obtained through illegal bribes. This passage also reflects the importance of family. Undoubtedly, losing everything in a fire is devastating, but Hyeonseo’s parents care only about each other and their children—and the portraits, of course, since taking care of them is necessary for staying safe under the Kim regime. The fact that Hyeonseo’s father is already under surveillance foreshadows the political trouble later in the book.
Themes
