Theme of Red Scarf Girl

I think that the theme of Red Scarf Girl is that no matter what people think of you, you should stand up for what you think is right, and no matter what, and that no matter how horrible life may be, one can still love and hope. The book consistently shows examples of these. For instance, one time, when Ji-Li went to change her name so that she and her family wouldn't be persecuted. However, when she found out that changing her name would mean making a clean break with her family, she ran away from the Red Guard. Obviously, she would rather be tortured than stay away and not protect her family. The story also hints that though sometimes she hated her landlord family, no matter what, she still loved them very much.