Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Reading Questions(3)

p. 45-61

Vocabulary-Synonym-Antonym
Sadistic-cruel-merciful
Vigilance-caution-carelessness
Substantiate-support-contradict
Garish-gaudy-conservative
Myopia-cannot be found-hypermetropia
Belligerent-aggressive-friendly
Redolent-reminiscent-cannot be found
Somnambulates-sleepwalk-awaken

16. Describe Four-Eyes. Where does he live, what is his background, and what is his personality?
He lives at the lower slope of Phoenix Mountain. He is also from the bourgeoisie. His father is the narrator, and his mother is the poet. His parents were disgraced so he had to be sent to be re educated. He lives in perpetual fear because he is worried about going back home. He knows that if the peasants do not think that he does a good work, then he cannot go back home.
17. What happened to all of the Western Literature in China at the advent of the Cultural Revolution? Why would such books be banned and why do they hold such a mystique for Luo and the Narrator?
All of western literature was banned in China except for Mao’s book as part of the communist reeducation. The banned books hold such a mystique because the books were forbidden and also they wanted to know more about western culture.
18. How is the breaking of Four -Eyes glasses symbolic of his state of being on the mountain? How do the boys use this to their advantage?
Without his glasses, he would not be able to work and therefore might not be able to go home. The breaking of his glasses is symbolic of his state of being because he feels very lost when his glasses are broken. So Luo and the narrator helped four-eyes and he lent them a book.
19. Why does the narrator feel a pang of jealousy when Luo goes to tell the Little Seamstress to Balzac story? How does this tie into the themes that are in the book and new awakening he is feeling?
He is jealous because he likes the seamstress which is a sign of his development into adulthood that is a theme in the novel. The new awakenings that he is feeling are desire, passion and love which are all not in line with the communist ideology.
20. Where does the narrator copy passages form Balzac’s book? Why is this placement symbolic to his situation? Is there a blending here of the old world and the new? Why does the narrator feel such a strong connection to the Balzac story?
The narrator copies passages on the sheepskin coat. He writes it on the inside of the sheepskin coat because he has to hide it from everyone which is symbolic of his lack of freedom. The story “Ursule Mirout” has elements of both the new world and the old world. In terms of the new word, it is a strongly about lifestyle of the upper class in France. In terms of the old world, the story has a theme of money and the parts about magnetism and somnambulism.
21. What occurs at the end of the chapter between Luo and the Little Seamstress? How is the literature responsible for their actions? Can literature be dangerous?
They made love. The literature has themes of love, desire and passion, so these themes combined with their repression may have started their actions. Sometimes, some books have themes and ideas that can strongly influence the readers. I think that the characters in the story due to their repressed situation may have been more easily influenced.