How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I volunteered to buy meat and vegetables at the market. This was the hardest job, but considering Grandma's age— she was over seventy— and Mom's and Dad's busy schedules, I felt it was my duty. It was also a good chance to get rid of my remaining bourgeois habits. (6.35)
Not only does Ji-li have a sense of duty to her country, she also feels an extra dose of responsibility when it comes to her family. Why? She's the oldest child and takes that seriously. She doesn't want her grandma or younger siblings to pick up the slack, so she feels obligated to do more around the house.
Quote #8
Immediately I scolded myself. How could I feel sorry for a counterrevolutionary's family member who refused to support the Red Guards? Still, I could not help going back out to look at him. (7.36)
Ji-li thinks it's her duty to despise all counterrevolutionary people and actions. After all, that's exactly what she and everyone else is taught. Here's the trouble with that, though: Ji-li feels the duty to act this way but it isn't how she genuinely feels. Instead she questions whether the punishments people are getting is fair.
Quote #9
"You are different from your parents. You were born and raised in New China. You are a child of Chairman Mao. You can choose your own destiny: You can make a clean break with your parents and follow Chairman Mao, and have a bright future; or you can follow your parents, and then… you will not come to a good end." (11.97)
Mao first, family second—or that's what everyone claims at least. Ji-li tries hard to believe this, and she feels compelled to do what's best for the Cultural Revolution. But she also has a sense of duty to her family, and she can't shake that feeling either.