“The fact that she gets herself in and out of these situations gives me hope. I see them as clear signs of her cleverness.”
This statement defines both Pa’s character and Loung’s character. The love and support that Ung’s father provides towards her rebellious persona illustrate the qualities that tie their relationship together. Additionally, it is a great example of foreshadowing within the text. Pa’s words suggest that Loung will find herself in a deleterious situation, but her restless disposition and supposed cleverness will set her free. The mindset and character that Loung displays serves as a general token of hope throughout the atrocious Khmer Rouge regime.
“It is believed that men who wear their hair long must have something to hide.”
Loung Ung describes the physical appearance of the Khmer Rouge regime as they parade into her village, highlighting a pivotal point in the Ung family’s journey. Not only is it the primary introduction of evil to their previously easy-going lives, but it shines light on the dehumanization, and forced mass-unification that the Khmer Rouge brings with it, as all the men shared the same long hair. Further, it illuminates the culture of discrimination between men and women in Cambodia during the 1970’s. Loung Ung notes that long greasy hair is denoted as “unacceptable”’ for girls in Cambodia, but the men are revered with this attribute. Finally, there is an obvious sense of foreshadowing present - the long hair of these men evokes a substantial element of mystery, and they truly may not be what the villagers are expecting them to be.
“It is no longer safe for us to stay here.”
Although this statement does not naturally stand out as memorable, it sheds light on the power and control the Khmer Rouge held over the Cambodian population. Loung Ung describes the brutality and physical detriments the previous walk inflicted on her just sentences before, yet she accepts yet another migration to a new village. The acute cruciality of the situation becomes overt - it is obvious that the family has no other option. They could never get comfortable, as circumstances were life or death. The family was driven by fear and a will to survive.
"He is not Pa. I have to stop dreaming about our family and settle for being part of a family of convenience."
Said shortly after being accepted into their "first foster family", this statement highlights the stark reality of Loung's and her siblings' situation. Loung has now come to view wanting a loving family as an impractical dream. Thus this statement, coupled with its self-reprimanding tone draws attention to the loss of Loung's childhood and her child-like innocence. She now lives in a reality in which survival, not emotional comfort, is the sole priority. Her realization of this fact marks an important step in her loss of innocence.
"The mother may not give me the love I crave, but I know what it feels like to be loved...I know the foster mother is wrong about me. I do possess the one thing I need to make something of myself one day: I have everything my Pa have me."
This thought process occurs after an incident in the woods in which Loung is abducted by a Vietnamese soldier and narrowly escapes being raped. On returning home, Loung's foster mother reprimands her for collecting so little wood and says she that the best thing she can amount to is "a hooker". Consequently, this thought process depicts the role that being loved and believed in plays in shaping a child's identity. Loung so firmly believes that she is "a diamond in the rough" as Pa says, that she continues to try to survive. As such, this also suggests the importance of and individuals self-worth in their struggle to survive.
"Neglecting to look down, I kick something and hear it roll away from me. It is rusty green and shaped like an egg with little square boxes on it. I freeze and suck in my breath. My knees are weak and my feet sting as if I have been electrocuted. It is a grenade. "Stupid girl, you have to be more careful," I curse under my breath."
This incident occurs on the way to the hospital in the Vietnamese refugee camp as Loung takes food to her foster family's grandmother. There is a sense of pathos in this incident evoked by the irony of Loung's reaction. After almost setting off a grenade, presumably deposited by the Khmer Rouge, she is angry at herself. This misplaced anger that could more appropriately target those who endanger children and innocent civilians with these grenades, highlights how used to this life Loung has become. Loung's misplaced anger serves to encourage anger in the reader at the injustice of this situation.
In her epilogue, Loung explains that she is now a spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World. This event links to the message regarding landmines and other hidden explosives that is pushed throughout this text by relating Ung's first-hand experience with them.
"It is easier to feel no pity for the dead if I think of them all as Khmer Rouge. I hate them all."
Loung says this shortly after finding a corpse on the outskirts of the Vietnamese refugee camp. This statement exemplifies the hatred and anger that Loung actively harbors throughout much of her story. Ung claims that it is this anger and hatred that allows her to continue in the face of so much adversity. She acknowledges that it was not the only possible motivation, as characters like Chou seem motivated by compassion and the desire to protect their family. However, for her particular personality, it seems that anger is the most convenient motivation available to her.
Loung's anger is an important aspect of the text and links to a broader exploration of anger as a stage of grief. The fact that Loung feels such consistent anger highlights the many losses and forms of grief that she has experienced. Her loss of home, her father, her mother, Keav and Geak are all serious causes for grief. However, due to the complicated nature of her situation, she is given little time to grieve these losses, perhaps causing the extended period of anger that accompanies her grief.
