First They Killed My Father

“The fact that she gets herself in and out of these situations gives me hope. I see them as clear signs of her cleverness.”

This statement from Ung’s father serves as foreshadowing. At the start of the book, Ung is not the most ladylike child; she is active and questioning. These traits frustrate her mother, but her father recognizes the power of these attributes. Eventually, the fact that she can adapt to situations helps her survive horrible conditions.

“They’re not nice people. Look at their shoes - they wear sandals made of car tires...It shows that these people are destroyers of things.”

This is the first time that Loung and her family see the soldiers from the Khmer Rouge. Prior to this quote, Ung comments to herself about their greasy hair. Interestingly, her father notices their shoes. Clothes are important symbols for Loung, who identifies colorful dresses with her old life of freedom, and dark clothes with the death wrought by the Khmer Rouge. Meanwhile, The Khmer Rouge do not just destroy things, but entire cities and millions of people, including Ung’s father.

“Ma! It’s money. I can’t use money!”

The first day that the Ungs are on the road, Loung needs to relieve herself. When the toilet paper is gone, her mother gives her money to use to wipe herself. Ung exclaims that she cannot use this, and her mother replies that “[it] is of no use anymore” (25). This is an eye-opening moment for Ung. If money is no longer valuable, times have really changed.