How do lifes experiences form the core of an individuals identity and character in the story?

In the story, life's experiences serve to confuse the people regarding their identity. The Communist Party were masters of indoctrination and propaganda. Ji-li is nothing more than a young teenager when the novel takes place. She tries to conform to the Party doctrine, and yet, she is ostracized because her grandfather was once a landlord. Under communism, her father and grandfather's status makes her own attempts to conform futile. She is angry at the position their status has put her in, but she cannot turn against them, and thus when she refuses to testify against her father, she is ostracized even further.