Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 11)

At the beginning of the final chapter the boys are burning the books one by one. This part is so saddening because they are destroying all of the wonderful things that brought such happiness to them. They are destroying the characters who they had grown to love and admire, as well as the incredible worlds and adventures that the books held. Prior to the burning of the books the seamstress began to change the way that she dressed and spoke to sound and look more like a city girl. Luo of course is very happy with her change because all along he wanted her to be more modern. But then the two boys start to realize that the had perhaps influenced the seamstress too much especially with the literature. For now she wanted to be someone other than the beautiful mountain girl. Luo says, "She said she had learnt one thing from Balzac: that a woman's beauty is a treasure beyond price." I think that the seamstress finally admits to how beautiful she is and decides to leave behind her old life and take advantage of being beautiful. Even after all that the narrator had done for her with her abortion and how in love she seemed to be with Luo she just up and left the two behind. In a way the two boy's plan to modernize the seamstress backfired because the result was not anything they had been expecting. As a result I believe that the boy's burn the books because a part of their lives, the seamstress, had died in them and without her the books were no longer as good, or perhaps the books reminded them so much of the seamstress that they could not bare keeping them any longer.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 10)

I couldnt believe that the little seamstress got pregnant. It was very sad that she would never be able to have the child and be with Luo because of government regulations. It was also very brave of the narrator to accept his resposiblity and do everything that he possibly could to help the seamstress. At the hospital, it seemed as though the narrator was never going to be able to speak to the doctor because of the long lines of patients. The narrator hopes that the gynecologist knew his father because he wants to be able to use such a relationship to his advantage. If the gynecologist knew the narrator's father, then maybe the doctor will have some respect and willingness to help the narrator with his dilemma. It seemed strange that the narrator would think to ask an old preacher where the best place to get an abortion was. I dont know if he thought that the preacher would not judge him or the seamstress and be understanding or what. Either way his idea to go and visit the preacher paid off in the end because if he hadn't gone to see the preacher he would never have had the opportunity to speak with the doctor. By trading Balzac for help for the seamstress, the narrator successfully arranges an abortion. I guess that the desire for a banned piece of literature was great, especially to those who may miss the old culture they could be free to experience before the cultural revolution.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 9)

I think that when the seamstress gets bitten by the snake it is like she is being bitten by the hand that feeds her. Luo keeps throwing the keys into the water for her, and because she listens to him so much she ends up being bitten by the snake. The snake bite may also be a sign of bad luck for her, or a reminder that life is not as carefree and safe as she may imagine it to be. I think that by being responsible for looking after the seamstress while Luo is away, the narrator takes on an air of duty and determination to successfully carry out his mission for his dear friend. The way that the narrator and the seamstress share there time together it almost seems as though they could be falling for one another, but the narrator is determined not to let such a thing happen. I was worried that the bullies would seriously injure the narrator, and I thought that the narrator would surely get turned in for having the book. I think that the narrators world becomes so bleek after that moment because his treasured secret has been exposed and he feels as though a part of himself has been emotionally attacked.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 8)

When the old miller sees Luo and the seamstress at the pond swimming it seems that he is comparing the seamstress to a bird in that she is free and graceful diving off of the rocks. At the end of his section he says that Luo is lucky that only he, the old miller, had seen him. The old miller doesnt care that Luo lied in order to get the songs out of him because he is a more considerate, kind, old man than the authorities. It is different how the author chose to write the story this way, I think he did it because he wanted the reader to know what was happening in the lives of the other main characters, even though the narrator was not witnessing the same events. In Luo's section he seems to be very proud of himself for making the little seamstress more modern by teaching her how to swim properly and not doggy paddle. I think his role as the modernizer is going to his head and he is not considering the consequences of these changes that he is making to the seamstress. Luo's key ring is the only piece of his past in the city that he still has, like a link to modern culture. It is like Luo has the seamstress trained to fetch the key, like he is training her to think and behave more modern. I think when they loose the keys in the pond, it symbolizes change. Immediately following the incident he finds that his mother has become ill and he has to go see her.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 7)

When Luo and the narrator are crossing the ravine it is ironic how Luo who is afraid of heights can cross the ravine and the narrator who usually never has any problem freezes in the middle of the ravine and must go back to the beginning. After Luo has continued on his way to see the little seamstress, the narrator mentions that he is suddenly apprehensive about how Luo's journey with Balzac and the Little seamstress would end. Maybe he is picking up on something that has changed between him and Luo, perhaps this is some sort of foreshadow for the future. Also I think that the nightmare that the narrator has further supports the idea that something bad is going to happen to Luo and the seamstress. I am not sure what the signifigance, if any, of the raven is. Perhaps it symbolizes bad luck or an omen of some sort. I thought for sure that the narrator was going to be taken to the authorities by the headman. If it wasn't for Luo's courage, the narrator would have likely gone to some sort of prison. When Luo is drilling the headman's tooth, I was not expecting the narrator to take on such an evil and vengeful attitude towards the headman. It was as though all of the hate and anger inside of him finally broke out and he became something other than his usual self because he wanted to cause the headman pain as revenge for all of the pain he had felt.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 6)

It seems as though the headman keeps sending the boys to go see films not only to tell stories to the village but because he likes to be in possession of the boy's little clock. I am not sure what his fascination with the clock is, maybe he feels like he is in control of time. While in Yong Jing the narrator, Luo and the little seamstress learn that Four Eye's mother has come to get him and take him back to the city because he has gotten a job. I wasn't really sure why the narrator pretended to be Luo when he was talking with Four Eye's mother, but it is a good thing that he did otherwise she might not have spoke to him as much. I don't think she really like the narrator based on what her son had told her. The mother tells the narrator that there is no hope of getting the suitcase and he is very dissapointed by this idea. When he goes and tells Luo and the seamstress, the Little Seamstress says, "About those books of his - what if we stole them?" It was odd to hear this from the Seamstress, I thought she liked the stories but not as much as the boys. I guess it showed that she was determined to get to read more stories. The three characters come up with a plan to steal the books. When Luo and the narrator are inside the house hiding under the beds it was very suspensful, I thought for sure they would get caught. In the end it turned out that they got away easily, they never heard from Four Eyes again. When the boy's finally have the suitcase they say that they hate everyone who kept the books away from them. I was surprised by this reaction but I can understand why they would feel this way. All their lives they never got to experience the magic and the adventures of literature because there was always someone forbidding it.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 5)

The boy's disguise themselves as city men who come to get folk songs from the old miller. By being polite and enjoying the company of the old miller the boys are able to get the old miller to sing the songs. It is surprising how much fun they actually have at the miller's home, playing music, singing songs and laughing. I guess that goes to show that no matter how poor a person is, they can still laugh and be fun to visit with. When Luo and the narrator return to Four Eyes with the songs written down on paper, Four Eyes is unhappy with the material. He doesn't think the songs are appropriate for the commune authorities because the material, he thought, was too erotic. I can understand how important the songs are to Four Eyes because they are his ticket off of the mountain and back to the city where he could have a job. But it is ironic to take a piece of his countries real culture and change it just to fit the ideal culture for the commune authorities. Four eyes doesnt give the boys any books because he claims that the material is useless and that he has to change them all. As a result the boys are furious. Four Eyes seems to be very selfish and not a good friend.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (paragraph 4)

The book the boys earn by a man named Balzac teaches them of love, passion and desire. All the things that they had never before experienced. The book is like an opening into a far off world, it is an escape from their harsh lives. Even though the narrator had never been to France where the story takes place, he is still able to relate to the feelings and emotions of the characters in the story. The narrator loves the words of the story so much that he copies them into his coat. Luo goes to tell the story to the seamstress and she is so inspired by the story that she and Luo make love for the first time. The boys eventually give the book back to Four Eyes regretfully. Luo wishes that he could have read the story to the Seamstress to make her more modern and more cultured. I think he wants her to experience as much culture as he has while he was living in the city. The next time the boys go to visit Four Eyes he tells them that he had tried to get the old miller who lived up on the mountain to sing him some folk songs for a writer who offered him a job in the city. He failed his attempt and the boys see it as an opportunity to try to get a hold of another book. The boy's attempts to get another book seems to be turning into some sort of game, they are willing to do almost anything to get a hold of the books. The narrator and Luo say that they will go see the old miller and get the songs if Four Eyes promises to give them another book.

Balzac and the Little Seamstress (paragraph 3)

The two boys travel down the mountain to the Little seamtresses village like they were asked. But Luo had a big attack of malaria and the Little Seamstress puts him to bed as soon as they arrive. That night four old women come to sit around Luo, one with a bow and arrow. The bow and arrow was to keep evil spirits away. I think the women were supposed to be scorcerors or something that were supposed to magically cure Luo. They start to fall asleep and the narrator has to tell a story to keep their eyes open. It was surprising when Luo, being as sick as he was, says the closing line to the story and adds so much emotion to the story. I think that Luo and the Little Seamstress were really falling for one another because in the end the narrator says that he thought he saw the seamstress kiss Luo. In the sixth chapter four eyes, the two boy's old friend, is introduced as well as a secret suitcase that he has. Four eyes seems to be a very flighty and frightened individual, and when he is asked about the suitcase he tries to disuade his friends of their interest in its contents. The two boys eventually guess the contents of the suitcase are in fact banned books. I think Four Eyes is so afraid because he is terrified of the Red Guards and the punishments that follow from possessing banned material. The two boys carry Four Eye's load of hod down the mountain for him and in return they get a small book by Balzac. Now they are making deals with Four Eyes to try to get their hands on some books.

Balzac and the Little Seamstress (paragraph 2)

In the third chapter the seamstress is introduced as the "princess of Pheonix Mountain." I dont think that she is really the princess but because she is considered to be wealthier than most on the mountain and she is so beautiful, she is referred to as a princess. It was pretty comical when the boys ran into the seamstresses father the tailor on the mountain side. He kept calling out violin in a weird accent. At the end of the third chapter it seems as though there is an attraction between Luo and the Little Seamstress. But Luo says, "She's not civilised, at least not enough for me!" This line threw me off because it seemed as though he might not really be interested but he could also be denying his feelings as well. In the fourth chapter the boys are working in the little coal mine that is very dangerous. Each boy is afraid of the coal mines but have no choice but to work in them if they ever wish to possibly go back to the city. The boys think that one day one of them might die in the coal mine, and each day they are thankful to be alive. I couldn't imagine working in such conditions and I was afraid for the characters. Then Luo catches malaria. Back at their cabin, the narrator finds a letter from the Little Seamstress to Luo. In it she tells them that they will get two days off to come to her village to tell a film to them. In the letter there seems to be a hint of fondness for the two boys.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Paragraph 1)

When the story first opens, the reader finds that the setting is in the mountains. Shortly after, there is a paragraph or two explaining the idea of reeducation and why the two teenage boys, Luo and the narrator, are in the mountains. It is nice that the author chose to add the part on reeducation because it provides background information to the setting. It seemed strange that Mao, the ruler, wanted to send the youth to be reeducated with the poor laborers. Usually a wants its people to be the smartest and most educated. Perhaps Mao was afraid that if the young generation were exposed to western ideas that they would revolt against him. I am not sure what it is they are supposed to learn in the mountains, maybe how to work with their hands and forget modern teachings. Or maybe it is a way to keep them occupied and out of the major cities where Mao is trying to form his perfect society. It is sad when the narrator discusses Luo's father the dentist and his public humiliation. I dont think that the dentist really slept with the nurse like he was being accused of. I think that that served as a way to prosecute the father on legitimate grounds. It sounds like the boys are 18 and 19 years old and live in a house on stilts above a pigsty on the mountain. The two have to work very hard and the narrator believes they have a minimal chance of ever going back to the city. The people of the mountain are so impressed by the boy's pocket watch alarm clock and the narrator's violin that it is obvious how behind the times and old fashioned the people in the mountains are.