Summary Of Balzac And The Little Seamstress

In the novel, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie, it can be observed that through another character’s perspective as well as their own, Luo and the Seamstress’ relationship is less than ideal and what once may have been a whimsical experience would soon fall from its glorious state.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress tells the story of two boys being re-educated during the Cultural Revolution in China. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is inspired by the author, Daj Sijie's experience with being sent to a re-education camp in Rural Sichuan from 1971 to 1974 due to him being born and raised into an educated family. The process and experience of China re-educating their citizens is called the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution lasted from 1966 to 1976. The Cultural Revolution started because Mao Zedong wanted to change China and reassert his control over the country and its government. Mao Zedong believed that the Communist leaders of China were taking the country in the wrong way. Luo and the Little

China is and always will be a land seen as mysterious to those with roots in Western culture. And in its own way, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie is what can happen when Western and Far Eastern culture interact. Outside of the cultural revolution, headed by Mao Zedong, which makes the whole novel possible, and was a push back against Western involvement in China, the novel includes many other ideas of cultural interaction. However, it also prominently provides complex emotions and changes within the characters who are followed throughout the novel. In fact, one passage in particular reveals much character change and development in the narrator of the story (who will simply be known as narrator for the entirety of this essay), and it occurs on the pages of 166 to 169. The passage is a daydream of the narrator’s after having taken a beating by a band of hooligans and potential suitors of the Little Seamstress. In it, readers can see the narrator develop to the same sort of manhood as Luo: the satisfaction of changing something and reaching independence. However, after reaching this stage, he also realizes the drawbacks to having done so, causing him to feel remorse for his actions. This is achieved by the narrator’s expression of hidden desires he developed over time and what lustful feelings and desperation accompany them.

“When I finished the book Luo had not yet returned, there was no doubt that he had gone to visit the Little Seamstress so he could tell her this wonderful tale of Balzac’s. In my mind’s eye I could see Luo telling her the story and the Little Seamstress listening vigorously open - mouthed. As I was thinking about her I felt a sudden stab of jealousy, a bitter emotion I had never felt before and my desire to be with the Little Seamstress grew stronger. Later that day, Luo came back with leaves of a gingko tree. “We made love there, against the trunk”; those words made me feel somewhat sick in the heart, I didn’t even know that was possible. I strained to imagine it but words failed me... Why does Luo always get everything? He even said himself

Storytelling can be found in every corner of the world. It is used to pass the time, tell of past or current events, and is the way that we communicate with each other. In Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie, storytelling occurs during times of hopelessness when life seems hard and allows the characters to live vicariously through the tales told. The narrator and Luo use storytelling as an escape from reality in times of desperation. The tailor is influenced by the stories to the point where he changes the style of clothing he creates to escape the boundaries of Mao approved clothing. The importance of storytelling to the little seamstress is that she learns the importance of beauty, and is able to leave the current life

Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett use a series of techniques throughout Lindhout’s memoir, A House in the Sky, to develop the specific purpose for writing. One of the most frequently used techniques is imagery, utilized for the reader to feel as though they are with her in captivity. Secondly, Lindhout uses anecdotes to show how rare it was for the guards to treat Lindhout kindly and her way of mentally escaping captivity. Lastly, Lindhout applies allusions to the memoir to give the reader information as to where they are being held and events that take place while being in captivity for 460 days. Imagery, anecdotes, and allusions aid in identifying the specific purpose for writing; which is raising awareness of the reality of being held hostage.

In the passage chosen from Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Siji, the villagers are confronted with the death of a buffalo. This “accidental’ death reveals the double-sided nature of the village, which spotlights their furtiveness, spiritual morals and their thirst for acceptance in their new re-educated world.

Storytelling can be found in every corner of the world. It is used to pass the time, tell of past or current events, and is the way that we communicate with each other. In Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie, storytelling occurs during times of hopelessness when life seems hard and allows the characters to live vicariously through the tales told. The narrator and Luo use storytelling as an escape from reality in times of desperation. The tailor is influenced by the stories to the point where he changes the style of clothing he creates to escape the boundaries of Mao approved clothing. The importance of storytelling to the little seamstress is that she learns the importance of beauty, and is able to leave the current life

Love can immensely impact a person so much, entirely changing their character. In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie, the theme of love blossoms throughout the story. In the novel, two teenage boys are sent to be re-educated during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Lou, an exceptional storyteller and the unnamed narrator, a talented musician, meet “the region’s reigning beauty”: the Little Seamstress. Both fall in love with the illiterate girl, however Lou has won the Seamstress’ heart. Through the Seamstress’ relationship with Luo, she has revealed a deep fascination for the outside world, developing characteristics such as being curious and outgoing.

The Narrator in this scene of the book, exemplifies a sense of struggle, not knowing really what he can and cannot get away with. It is his first sense of rebellion. This sense of struggle embedded into The Narrator comes from the experiences he has had regarding his family. The Narrator comes from a family of intelligent people who have experienced immense hatred from their society. The Narrator struggles with this because he believes intelligent people should be praised, not punished, yet at the same time he wants to be accepted by his community. The Narrator is stopped by the village's headman while carrying his violin into the village and in regards to

In the book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, written by Dai Sijie. The setting of this book takes place in Communist China, during the re-education period. The Story is based around two young men, the Narrator and his best friend Luo, who find themselves tossed into the middle of this re-education program. From pgs. 166-168, we witness an interesting conflict between the Narrator and his relation to the little Seamstress. In this section of the story, Luo has left the village that the Narrator and Luo are being re-educated due to his mother becoming ill. The Narrator was left with the task of watching over the Seamstress. Throughout this part, the narrator refers to himself as like a secret agent watching over her. This is an interesting way of describing his situation This is highlighted in this passage, pg 166-pg 168, the Narrator encounters a band of want to be suitors of the Seamstress. Narrator then falls under assault from the band and narrowly escapes. Following Narrator's arrival back in his village for the night, Narrator's reaction to what happened reveals more about him as a character as well as his relation to the Seamstress. In the current place in the story, the narrator's relationship between him and the seamstress paints us a brighter picture of how the morals of the Narrator are clashing with his true desires and causing the Narrator to feel remorse for himself.

The novel emphasizes the cultural and political repression which can be seen by the fact that a lot of the kids that were sent down to be re-educated were sent down unwillingly. Also like the narrator’s and Luo’s parents fell from the party’s favor due to being intellectuals and political blunders. The novel also showed the limits of dictatorship and its grip on individuals. From the readings and documentary we have watched in class, it showed that on the surface everyone supported the party, however when it came to reality, a lot of the citizens were putting on a show. This can is explicitly shown in the novel. It showed the restrictions of power for the dictatorship. In the novel, the villagers seemed to support the party and follow the rules but when they had the chance they did what they wanted. They were easily bribed and were able to carry out their agendas even though it was restricted by the

The passage starts out with an in-depth description of the headman’s extracted tooth. The fragile state of his tooth is espied along with the diagnosis of other health complications, including a bout of syphilis. This manifests the fact that the headman physically is not as tough as he appears to be. Sijie uses grotesque imagery like a storyteller would in order to describe the headman's tooth. The tooth is described to resemble a “...jagged mountain range” with “blackened inflamed gums” next to it were “tobacco-stained canines” and a “dark pulpy hole.” This vivid description unveils the fact that the headman is not all that beloved. A citizen would not describe a leader he admired as having anything close to a “disgusting” feature. If the Narrator valued the headman, he would not go into such great detail of how vulgar the molar was. This also

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie, is a story about two teenagers fighting for their opportunity of education. In communist China, re-education is an issue dealt with by the youth of the nation. Two teenagers, an unnamed narrator and Luo, attempt to leave their village and take back their freedom and opportunity from the government. Along their way, they enlist the help of a little mountain seamstress, whom both boys immediately fall head over heels for, while Luo claims she is too uncivilized for him. As the story unfolds, the relationship between the characters grows, as they attempt to fight their re-education. The narrator tries very hard to win over the heart of the seamstress, to no avail. Later in the story, as Luo was out of town, the narrator saw his opportunity to swipe in and steal her heart.

Written by Dai Sijie, and published in english in 2001, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a contemporary piece with a classical story. The book is about a boy, known to us as “The Narrator,” and his friend Luo. It takes place in communist China. Luo is the son of a well known dentist, while the Narrator is the son of a lung specialist and a consultant in parasitic disease. Due to their parents’ education and status, the boys are sent to a mountainous village to be re-educated. While there, the boys live in treacherous conditions and live life, similar to that of Sisyphus, but instead of a boulder, they carry sewage. The Narrator possesses the skill of playing the violin beautifully, while Luo was graced with a story telling ability. While being re-educated, they become acquaintances with The Little Seamstress, eventually becoming more. They begin to read her stories, which they steal, and begin to put their lives in danger. By then, it gets interesting. One major scene that showcases their actions is when Luo has to tend to his sick mother, pages 158 to 160, leaving the Narrator watching over the Little Seamstress. Within this passage, the Narrator’s usual tone drastically changes into a militant attitude which reveals that when he is put into a position of power, he conforms to the idea that he should be emotionless and straight to the point, similar to how a communist would take charge. This also reveals that he is not much different from what he hates