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Yang Fan
Ji-li’s grandfather—Grandma’s husband and Dad’s father—was born into a very large, very wealthy family, making him a landlord in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party. Although he died when Dad was still just a little boy, his class status continues to affect the way the Jiang family is perceived and treated, especially after the Cultural Revolution begins.
Grandfather Quotes in Red Scarf Girl
The Red Scarf Girl quotes below are all either spoken by Grandfather or refer to Grandfather. 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:
).
Chapter 4: The Red Successors
Quotes
“My father’s class status…?” I did not see what Du Hai meant at first. “You mean what did my grandfather do? I don’t know. I only know that he died when my father was seven.”
There was a trace of a grin on Du Hai’s face. He stood up lazily and faced the class.
“I know what her grandfather was.” He paused dramatically, sweeping his eyes across the class. “He was a—LANDLORD.”
“Landlord!” The whole class erupted.
“What’s more, her father is a—RIGHTIST.”
“Rightist!” the class was in pandemonium.
I was numb. Landlord! One of the bloodsuckers who exploited the farmers! The number-one enemies, the worst of the “Five Black Categories,” even worse than criminals, or counterrevolutionaries! My grandfather? And Dad, a rightist? One of the reactionary intellectuals who attacked the Party and socialism? No, I could not believe it.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8: A Search in Passing
Quotes
I sat on our usual bench […] staring at the fleecy white clouds. […]
In the three months since the Cultural Revolution had started, changes had been so constant that I often felt lost. One day the Conservative faction were revolutionaries that defended Chairman Mao’s ideas; the next day, the opposite Rebel faction became the heroes of the Cultural Revolution. I heard that even Chairman of the Nation Liu Shao-qi and General Secretary Deng Xiao-ping were having problems. […]
I wondered what I would be doing if I had been born into a red family […] I hated my grandfather [… but] I did know if I could hate Grandma if she was officially classed as a landlord’s wife. The harder I tried to figure things out, the more confused I felt. I wished I had been born into a red family so I could do my revolutionary duties without worrying.
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Grandfather Quotes in Red Scarf Girl
The Red Scarf Girl quotes below are all either spoken by Grandfather or refer to Grandfather. 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:
).
Chapter 4: The Red Successors
Quotes
“My father’s class status…?” I did not see what Du Hai meant at first. “You mean what did my grandfather do? I don’t know. I only know that he died when my father was seven.”
There was a trace of a grin on Du Hai’s face. He stood up lazily and faced the class.
“I know what her grandfather was.” He paused dramatically, sweeping his eyes across the class. “He was a—LANDLORD.”
“Landlord!” The whole class erupted.
“What’s more, her father is a—RIGHTIST.”
“Rightist!” the class was in pandemonium.
I was numb. Landlord! One of the bloodsuckers who exploited the farmers! The number-one enemies, the worst of the “Five Black Categories,” even worse than criminals, or counterrevolutionaries! My grandfather? And Dad, a rightist? One of the reactionary intellectuals who attacked the Party and socialism? No, I could not believe it.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8: A Search in Passing
Quotes
I sat on our usual bench […] staring at the fleecy white clouds. […]
In the three months since the Cultural Revolution had started, changes had been so constant that I often felt lost. One day the Conservative faction were revolutionaries that defended Chairman Mao’s ideas; the next day, the opposite Rebel faction became the heroes of the Cultural Revolution. I heard that even Chairman of the Nation Liu Shao-qi and General Secretary Deng Xiao-ping were having problems. […]
I wondered what I would be doing if I had been born into a red family […] I hated my grandfather [… but] I did know if I could hate Grandma if she was officially classed as a landlord’s wife. The harder I tried to figure things out, the more confused I felt. I wished I had been born into a red family so I could do my revolutionary duties without worrying.
