Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis

547 Words3 Pages
For many students in English class, Western literature is just a required aspect of the curriculum. Barely staying awake while reading, the words on the page slip right over our heads. However, the Western literature that we seem to take for granted is revealed to have a lasting effect on the characters of Dai Sijie’s novel, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, as the narrator experiences the impact of new emotions, Luo understands the value of knowledge, and the Little Seamstress harnesses the power of making choices. As aforementioned, the Western literature that the narrator encounters give him a sense of new emotions that builds up on his positive character. For instance, after reading Ursule Mirouët, by Balzac, the narrator possesses the desire to copy from a book for the first time, (58). This piece of literature, filled with the once hidden topics of desire, impulsive action, and love, opens the narrator to the new emotion of passion for reading. Moreover, the book impacts the narrator by giving him the desire to have something of Luo’s- the Little Seamstress’s company (57- 58). This new feeling of jealousy may be viewed from a negative vantage point, but it is the feeling of love and…show more content…
For example, he uses this newly gained wisdom to forge a relationship with the Little Seamstress. After reading his first Western literature, he immediately goes to “visit the Little Seamstress so he could tell her this wonderful tale of Balzac’s,” (57). As a result, Luo utilizes the piece of literature to spend more time with his lover and created a romantic relationship. Additionally, with the possession of the valuable knowledge for reading, Luo uses it as a way of re-educating the Little Seamstress. By reading the books to her, Luo “cultures” the mountain girl into a “civilized” city girl (109). Therefore, his actions convey the value of literature in enriching one’s
Show More
Related

  • Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis

    838 Words  | 4 Pages

    will provide temporary, but powerful liberation from one’s own life; but, rarely, does reader consider the permanent internal souvenirs reaped from each hour submerged in the fantastical. In the novel, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Dai Sijie depicts the story of two adolescents from Chinese cities, Luo and an unnamed narrator, exiled to a rural mountain village for reduction during Mao’s cultural revolution. There, they are forced to do hard labor and live as the local people do until all

    Read More

More about Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis

Open Document