First They Killed My Father

The Khmer Rouge’s clothing is a symbol of the regime and the horror it creates. The group takes away the colorful, luxurious clothing that the Ung family is accustomed to wearing and makes everyone look the same. Loung comments that she cannot tell the difference between families and soldiers, so she does not know whom to hate. The plain black top and bottom paired with the red scarf even looks like death, with the red symbolizing the blood that is scattered all over the Cambodian countryside. The clothing remains in Loung’s mind even at the end of the book when, well into her adulthood, she recognizes that the outfit she wore to see her family after many years resembles that of the Khmer soldiers. No matter how much time and space separate the Ungs from the Killing Fields, the Khmer Rouge are always in the deep, dark spaces of their memories.

In the Ung family, Pa is the glue that keeps the family together. All of the brothers and sisters, as well as Ma, respect their father and the work he does in and out of the home. After his death, he continues to inspire Loung as she has imaginary conversations with him.