"Next thing I remember, we were tearing up our red scarves, which only a month before had been the sacred symbol of the Young Pioneers. Now they represented the revisionist educational line and to tear them up was a gesture of rebellion. We tied the strips of red cloth around our left arms in the style of workers' pickets of the 1920s." (Yang)
The red guard is called this way because they tied the red scarf to their arms. The red scarf was a symbol of the young pioneer and Chinese revolution. In the cultural revolution, the meaning of revolution is redefined by Chairman Mao. The violation of the revolution reached a peak after Mao’s comment ‘The party's policy does not advocate beating. But it is necessary to carry out a class analysis of beating, good people beating bad people, bad people deserve; bad people beating good people, good people are glorious; good people beating good people, it is just a misunderstanding.’ The symbol of the red guard was also changed after that, the red is no longer symboling revolution, but symboling violence and blood. In the 1970s, people were so afraid of the red guards that they called them the red beasts.
Chairman Mao had said that we were the morning sun. We were the hope. The future of China and the fate of humankind depended on us. The Soviet Union and East European countries had changed colors. Only China and Albania remained true to Marxism and Leninism. By saving the revolution in China, abolish privileges enjoyed by the government officials, reform government organizations... In short, we must purify China and make is a shining example. Someday the whole world would follow us onto this new patch." (Yang)
The reason behind the change of the symbolism of red in this revolution is the complicated outside political environment, the immatureness of students and the undoubted believe of the 'Great Chairman Mao's words'. As the quote above showed, the international environment is pessimistic to Chinese communism. Under this situation, Mao made a wrong decision and in a sudden all students awoke like a beast. Many students were affected by his words but they didn't realize that this is not a revolution of the society but just a revenge of their own interest under the name of revolution. What so ever, their energy and passion bursted out and nobody can stop them. Mao's word is like a torch ignited the fire inside students. They spontaneously devoted into the fight of 'revolution'. The lack of organization and discipline turned the revolutionary red guard into red beasts. As the red swept the whole country roaring like a wind, the hatred buried in people's heart were dogged out and the red revenge became unstoppable.
When we focus on the writer, Yang, we can see that her experience is a classic reflection of the red guard in the cultural revolution. She became the red guard not because of passion for revolution, but because of her hatred of her teachers. Admittedly, her teacher did treated her unfairly, but what she is doing to her teacher is called 'Koumaozi' in that time period. This means that she over interpreted her teacher and frame her as the enemy of revolution. In her memoir, they had beaten many people's blood out of them. They considered it necessary for revolution at that time, but it is just bloody revenge after all. In the lasting years of cultural revolution, they even traveled around the country to spread the 'red revolution', which eventually turned out to be bloody violence indulged by fear. They also aggravated people's hate and fear of the revolution, of the red regime, and even of red armband.
We can compare the Spider Eater with the book ‘liquid memories’. In The Spider Eater, we can see that she turned into a red guard because of a fairly simple reason: she disliked her teachers. This is not such a magnificent political ambition, but just a seed of revenge inside a child’s mind. In the liquid memories, the author quoted a word from Jiangqing, Mao’s wife. She said that revolution is about revenge, which clearly explained the formation of the red guard.The book also told a story about the June 4th, after that night, people in Sichuan province, where Deng comes from, said that they would dig out the grave of Deng’s ancestors(Ding). This is also a proof of revolution is revenge.
When we focus on the writer, Yang, we can see that her experience is a classic reflection of the red guard in the cultural revolution. She became the red guard not because of passion for revolution, but because of her hatred of her teachers. Admittedly, her teacher did treated her unfairly, but what she is doing to her teacher is called 'Koumaozi' in that time period. This means that she over interpreted her teacher and frame her as the enemy of revolution. In her memoir, they had beaten many people's blood out of them. They considered it necessary for revolution at that time, but it is just bloody revenge after all. In the lasting years of cultural revolution, they even traveled around the country to spread the 'red revolution', which eventually turned out to be bloody violence indulged by fear. They also aggravated people's hate and fear of the revolution, of the red regime, and even of red armband.
We can compare the Spider Eater with the book ‘liquid memories’. In The Spider Eater, we can see that she turned into a red guard because of a fairly simple reason: she disliked her teachers. This is not such a magnificent political ambition, but just a seed of revenge inside a child’s mind. In the liquid memories, the author quoted a word from Jiangqing, Mao’s wife. She said that revolution is about revenge, which clearly explained the formation of the red guard.The book also told a story about the June 4th, after that night, people in Sichuan province, where Deng comes from, said that they would dig out the grave of Deng’s ancestors(Ding). This is also a proof of revolution is revenge.