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Chapter 5
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
Compared to Anju, Hamhung is a big city with more cars and more air pollution. The words and likeness of the Great Leader are everywhere on murals and propaganda placards. Hyeonseo’s family is given an apartment in a large complex, and Mother immediately takes to wallpapering the walls and tiling the bathroom. The government is supposed to provide for everyone’s needs, but the communist system often breaks down, and the people must rely on bribery and unofficial markets to get by.
Again, the repression of the North Korean people is clear. Their living quarters are barely adequate (even though Mother works hard to make it nice, which reflects her inner goodness and love for her family), and vital supplies are often never delivered. It is easier to control poor and hungry people, and that is exactly how the regime keeps the North Koreans subservient.
Themes
On Sundays, Hyeonseo plays with the other neighborhood children. The other six days a week, however, are spent in school and in other official activities, like “study groups” or “discussions,” in which the speeches of the Great Leader and the Dear Leader are memorized. This is the “communist way,” and it ensures that no one ever strays from the accepted way of life. Such groups and discussions also create a system of surveillance, in which any deviation is reported to the authorities at once.
North Koreans don’t actually “study” or “discuss” anything at official activities; they are simply an excuse to force the people to worship the Kim regime. Ironically, while this is seen as the “communist way,” it has nothing to do with economics or ensuring the prosperity of the collective. Such forced worship only serves a select few, at the expense of the many.
Themes
Beginning school in Hamhung is difficult for Hyeonseo. The children are “rough” and not like those in Anju or Hyesan. During this time, Hyeonseo first learns about “life purification time,” a system of self-criticism practiced in schools, in which each student stands up, accuses someone of something, and then confesses something. No one is exempt. Most of the time, Hyeonseo and a friend plan ahead to accuse each other of some low-level offense, like neglecting their studies, but the accusations can be dangerous. Once, a boy in Hyeonseo’s class accused another boy of having too many luxuries and asked where his family got the money to buy such things. The teacher reported the accusation to the Bowibu, and three generations of the boy’s family were arrested as traitors.
This passage reflects the power of the secret police and their ability to punish those they consider disloyal to the regime. It seems unbelievable that three generations of people—which likely includes tens of people or more—can be arrested as traitors simply for having too many material possessions. Many families obtain illegal extras through trading and bribes, much like Hyeonseo’s family does, which underscores just how easy it is to gain the negative attention of the Bowibu and get sent to a collective farm or gulag in the north mountains.
Themes
When Hyeonseo turns nine, she joins the Young Pioneer Corps, North Korea’s communist youth movement. It is the proudest moment in the life of a young North Korean, and while it is compulsory between the ages of nine and 14, not all children are accepted to the program at the same age. Before Hyeonseo’s ceremony, Mother buys her a pair of red Mary Jane dress shoes from the dollar store in town. The shoes are a perfect match to the red cotton scarf given at the ceremony, along with the small Pioneer badge that must be pinned to everyone’s blouse. Hyeonseo is very excited the morning of the ceremony, and as she walks up the official stage to receive her scarf and badge, she is full of pride in her new red shoes.
Such pride is considered taboo in a communist country like North Korea, as is wasting money on such extravagances as red shoes. Hyeonseo’s red shoes are incredibly dangerous—they draw attention to her and speak of all the little extras Mother and Father make sure Hyeonseo and Min-ho have. Such things could draw questions from the Bowibu, who clearly have the power to punish citizens even if they only suspect they have behaved in an illegal or disloyal way. However, this scene also illustrates how much Mother loves her family—she wants to give them everything she can.
Themes
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One of Hyeonseo’s friends is not selected to complete the Young Pioneer Corps program with her, and after the girl misses a few days of school, the teacher decides the class should go to the girl’s house to check on her. The girl’s house is in a run-down part of town, and it smells like raw sewage. Hyeonseo can’t believe her eyes; she thought the government provided for everyone. School is free in North Korea, but parents are expected to make donations. The girl’s parents cannot afford their donations, so she has been missing more and more school. The teacher, who often criticizes those students whose parents don’t make their donations, reminds the girl of the importance of school and leaves.
This event vividly demonstrates the importance of one’s songbun, which has three broad categories and 51 specific variations. Compared to her friend, Hyeonseo lives quite a privileged life. This also reflects the power of the North Korean regime and their ability to make the people pay and force their loyalty. Hyeonseo’s friend can’t go to school because her parents don’t have any money, and the friend can never hope to earn any money if she doesn’t finish school, which shows the vicious circle of oppression in North Korea.
Themes
In 1990, Father announces they will be moving back to Hyesan. Everyone is very excited, and Mother, Hyeonseo, and Min-ho board a train back to Hyesan. No one is allowed to travel in North Korea without an ID passbook and a permit that is valid for only four days. A ticket inspector examines Mother’s passbook, and, after informing her that it is expired, orders them to wait on the platform and walks away.
Mother will likely be punished for traveling without valid permission, which again reflects the repression of the North Korean people. North Koreans aren’t permitted to freely travel about the country; they must obtain permission and are only allowed to travel for a short window of time.
Themes
Mother is obviously distraught by her expired passbook, and a kind man stops to ask what is wrong. She explains, and he leaves, immediately returning again with her passbook. He tells Mother to board the train with Hyeonseo and Min-ho and hide. They do, and it isn’t long before the inspector gets on the train looking for them. The other passengers tell the inspector that the woman and her children went in the opposite direction, and the inspector goes off in search of them. After a few moments, the train begins to move. They are safe. Such kindness is rare in North Korea—those who put others before themselves are often the first to die.
North Koreans are too busy making sure they survive, along with their families, which is why kindness is rare there. The man and the entire train could be punished for helping Mother evade the ticket inspector and break the law, which would very likely be considered disloyalty to the state and the Kim regime. However, the fact that Mother, Min-ho, and Hyeonseo encounter such kindness suggests that it isn’t as rare as they may think; it’s just not always obvious under such oppressive conditions.
Themes
