Genre
Autobiography
Setting and Context
Primarily China under Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution
Narrator and Point of View
Through the point of view of Liang Heng.
Tone and Mood
Violent, Oppressive, Mysterious, Revelatory, Revolutionary, and Energetic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Heng (Protagonist) vs. Mao's Communist Party (Antagonist)
Major Conflict
Heng and his family's struggle to survive Mao's violent Cultural Revolution.
Climax
When Heng escapes to America.
Foreshadowing
Heng foreshadows his escape early on in the book.
Understatement
The depravity of Mao's lieutenants are understated in sections of the book.
Allusions
To the history and geography of China and the United States, popular culture, Heng's family history, religion, and mythology.
Imagery
Heng uses intense imagery to underscore the depravity of Mao's actions.
Paradox
The Cultural Revolution was responsible for the deaths and oppression of countless Chinese people, yet many willingly accepted that.
Parallelism
Heng's story and the story of countless other Chinese people are paralleled often in the book.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
China as a country is personified in the book.
