Red and Black throughout chapters 15-17

In the next three chapters, the motif of “red and black” appears many times. In the chapter titled
“child soldiers”, Lounge and Chou struggle at their new camp. Loung is sent to work in the rice
patties where leeches bite her, “Black and slimy, they attach themselves to my flesh with suction
cups, sucking my blood” (Ung 134). The leeches are a metaphor for the Angkar: clothed in black,
sucking the life/blood from the Cambodian people. Later in the chapter, Met Bong forces Loung
to leave Chou for a different camp, where she will be trained as a soldier. Loung misses Chou,
and the nights are the worst when she has nightmares where a monster with “Coal black eyes”
is chasing her until she turns around and kills it. Black shows up with the mention of the black sky
and the eyes, as well as red, when describing the blood of the monster. There are many other
references to the dark sky, and it is understandable why it scares Loung, as black symbolizes
death and darkness. It seems inescapable, “The night sky looms ever more black in front of me”
(Ung 142). In the next chapter, “gold for chicken”, Loung goes to visit Ma and Geak back in Ro
Leap. She is nervous to see them, “My fingers tremble as I button my new black shirt” (Ung 144). When Loung first sees Ma, her back is towards her, “Her black pajama clothes are gray and faded” (Ung 145). Loung wants to be strong for her mother and Geak, but her heart breaks when she sees what poor condition they are in. Her mother tells her how she wanted to trade her ruby earrings for a chicken, so Geak could grow stronger. But instead, a man stole the earrings, and beat her, “The marks look raw. Black and blue, they run across her protruding ribs. She lifts her skirts up and shows me the big red and purple patches covering her white thighs” (Ung 148). Loung is a passionate girl (her red aura says so), and her passion turns to anger when she sees the black and red marks.

In chapter 18, “the last gathering”, the food rations are again decreased, and Loung grows weak with hunger. She goes to the infirmary, where she meets all of her family with the exception of Khouy. Even though they are all sick, it is wonderful to be together. However, they grow so hungry, that Loung ends up stealing a rice ball from an old woman. Black is used when describing her, "gray oily hair clings to her skull and her chest contracts and expands in shallow breaths beneath her black clothes" (Ung 155). It is fitting that they describe her black clothing, for it is as if she was wearing death itself. Loung feels terrible, but knows that the old woman will soon die anyway.