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Chapter 20
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 can’t figure out how her mother is even calling China in the first place. They don’t have a phone, and all public phones are monitored by the Bowibu. She doesn’t sound angry, but begins speaking right away. The day after Hyeonseo left, inspectors arrived to register voters. Voter registration is just an excuse to find out if everyone is where they are supposed to be, since citizens don’t actually have any say in elections or government. Mother told them that Hyeonseo was visiting Aunt Pretty in Hamhung, but the banjang was with the inspectors and knew the truth. Chang-ho told Mother that Hyeonseo had crossed the river, and it wasn’t long before rumors started that she was in China.
All of this again reflects the oppression of the North Korean people. Hyeonseo isn’t anyone important within North Korean society—she is just an average girl—but her absence is still noted by the Bowibu. Furthermore, the inability of the North Korean people to have any say in elections or government again underscores the power and cruelty of the regime. The regime denies the citizens basic voting rights, and then they name their spying efforts “voter registration” like a slap in the face.
Themes
Mother plans to take Min-ho and move to a new town where no one knows them and Hyeonseo’s absence will be less suspicious, and she tells Hyeonseo not to contact them for the time being and hangs up abruptly. Suddenly, Hyeonseo realizes that she may never be able to go home to North Korea. Aunt Sang-hee happily agrees to allow Hyeonseo live with her and Uncle Jung-gil long-term, and Hyeonseo accepts; however, if Hyeonseo had realized how much she was going to miss her mother and Min-ho, she would have gone back to Hyesan anyway.
The fact that Hyeonseo would risk her safety just to be with Mother and Min-ho again reinforces the importance of family within the book. Families in North Korea frequently stay in oppressive circumstances just to remain together, and Hyeonseo’s feelings are evidence of this.
Themes
Hyeonseo decides she must learn Mandarin if she is to stay in China, and she begins with television and children’s books. Each day, Hyeonseo grows more and more homesick and feels trapped in a foreign land without an identity. Uncle Jung-gil and Aunt Sang-hee are kind and accommodating, but China isn’t home, and Hyeonseo grows increasingly unhappy and depressed. She begins to have nightmares about the Bowibu chasing her across the Yalu River, and she hears police dogs and whistles before waking in a sweat.
Hyeonseo suffers nightmares through most of the book, which underscores the trauma she has endured at the hands of the cruel North Korean regime. However, her homesickness and longing for North Korean soil also illustrates the importance of nationality as a key aspect of one’s core identity. Hyeonseo is a North Korean, and she will always carry love for her first home.
Themes
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Hyeonseo decides she must go back to North Korea, no matter what. She tries to call Mr. Ahn, but his number is disconnected. Her link to Hyesan is gone, and Hyeonseo is devastated. Aunt Sang-hee tries desperately to cheer Hyeonseo up, and one day, she comes to Hyeonseo’s bedroom and tells her she has a visitor. Hyeonseo excitedly jumps out of bed, hoping to find someone from Hyesan, but a young man she doesn’t recognize is at the door. Sang-hee introduces him as Geun-soo, and he bows deeply, handing Hyeonseo flowers without looking at her.
Hyeonseo’s desire to go back to Hyesan after what has happened reflects her connection to her country and family. Mr. Ahn’s disconnected phone suggests he has gotten into trouble for helping her, which reflects the power of the North Korean regime, since it can reach all the way into China. From Geun-soo’s flowers, the reader can infer romantic intentions.
Themes
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