Our Violent Ends

Juliette Cai, one of the two protagonists of Our Violent Ends, is the 19-year-old heir to the Scarlet Gang. Juliette has a temper and is prone to violence, qualities she recognizes in herself and carefully cultivates to foster a dangerous reputation. Juliette struggles with the balance between remaining true to herself and knowing that appearances matter. She prefers American clothes and hairstyles, even when high heels and beaded dresses interfere with her dangerous work. Juliette is aware of her flaws—she recognizes the risk of her vanity and understands that has the capacity for cruelness—but she tends to accept them as part of the authentic version of herself that emerges in Shanghai rather than attempting to change those qualities in herself. She is crafty, clever, and usually has a plan to get what she wants, even if that plan involves violence or dishonesty.

On the other hand, Juliette is sometimes short-sighted. For example, she repeatedly dismisses her father’s opinion that the political unrest between the Communists and the Nationalists will become more important to the landscape of Shanghai than the blood feud between the gangs. She stubbornly refuses to pay attention to politics until she finds herself in the middle of a civil war, a conflict that she cannot control or even decisively impact.