Thesis Statement: Sijie uses the symbols of “jade dumplings” and the “suitcase” to illustrate how there was almost no intellectual liberty in the time of the Cultural Revolution, downgrading intellectuals to peasants, who in contrast, lived a very simple lifestyle completely unaffected by the Revolution. The peasants lived in a life of poverty, which is exemplified by the miller’s love of jade dumplings, or rocks in saltwater. The burgoise class had their intellectual liberty seriously restricted by the Cultural Revolution and most of the bergoise class was desperate to maintain their intellectual liberty, which is evident in the boys’ desperation to hide and obtain the suitcase and its contents.
Pg 72 - Jade dumplings
“He took his chopsticks, picked up a pebble from the dish and slowly dipped it in the sauce as if perfoming a ritual. Then he raised the pebble to his lips and sucked it with relish” (72).
“‘Pebbles!... He dips them in salty water, puts them in his mouth, rolls them around and spits them out again. He says the dish is called ‘jade dumplings with miller sauce’” (64).
This represents how intellectual liberty, or lack therof, can be interpreted differently based on one’s social class. This showed how simple the Old Miller’s lifestyle was. He thinks it is a speciality to offer his infamous “jade dumplings” to guests. He is virtually unaffected by the Cultural Revolution. The lives of those living in the cities is very different from the peasants in the village. Luo and the narrator are disgusted at the fact of sucking a “pebble” which was “dipped in the sauce”. However, the boys realize that they have to respect the Old Miller’s ways, thus joining him in his special meal. Their reactions were quick and well thought out, being polite to the Old Miller’s offer of jade dumplings, showing how they were growing up. Also, they are shown the real world outside of the cities. They are shockingly shown the poverty that most peasants live in, and realize just how different the two worlds are.
Pg 49 - suitcase
“‘I expect they’re books,’ he said. ‘The way you keep your suitcase locked up and hidden away is enough to betray your secret: you’ve got a stash of forbidden books’”(49).
“Inside, piles of books shone in the light of our torch: a company of great Western writers welcomed us with open arms” (99).
This quote showed how there was limited intellectual liberty. Four Eyes was acting as a symbol of the cultural revolution, changing authentic mountain songs to become pro-revolutionary poems and hiding “forbidden books” in a suitcase. The government burned books that contradicted Mao’s beliefs. Books are a great collection of perspectives and information. By confiscating them, people are not open to new ideas and become close-minded. Without any books to read, excluding the ones Mao wrote himself, people have no freedom of expression and are made to obey Mao’s ways, whether they agree with them or not. The fact that Four Eyes was keeping banned books in his suitcase illustrates how intellectual liberty was “locked up” during the Cultural Revolution and educated people tried to sneak bourgeois items, representing their knowledge, into their relocated settlement.
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ReplyDeleteDo you think that books are the most valuable thing that Mao took away? The suitcase also connects to the importance of literature because Luo and the narrator started thinking differently after reading the books.
ReplyDeleteYour points about the jade dumplings were well made and really interesting! I had always focused on intellectual liberty for the narrator and Luo, but I like how you guys switched the focus onto other villagers like the old miller.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Four Eyes was acting as a symbol of the cultural revolution? Or do you believe that he did not support the revolution at all but he understood that he would need to act like he did or he would never get out of the village. I think that Four Eyes was showing how he had grown because he understood his situation and he was mature enough to find a way out of it instead of giving up.
ReplyDeleteHow does social class affect all the people of China, not just the peasants and their way of life? Your insight toward Mao acting on his beliefs is really intereseting
ReplyDeleteHow else does the old miller represent themes of the novel, such as loss?
ReplyDeleteThese quotes could also pertain to the theme of loss. The miller faces extreme poverty, and while at first the main characters inwardly scoff at his meals, they realize that the three of them are in similar situations (doing all that they can to survive). In addition, the main characters comprehend what they have lost of their previous lives as they come across a meager collection of books.
Do you think Four-Eyes was greedy to keep the books from the two boys? Or do you think Four-Eyes had the right to keep them from the boys?
ReplyDeleteI liked the connection you made to the fact that the Old Miller was almost completely unaffected by the Cultural Revolution. I think that this idea shows a lot about what Mao was really trying to do. While Mao said he was trying to make everyone equal, he was really just trying to exact revenge on the upper class for having more opportunity that he ever did. I also liked that you mentioned the fact that the narrator and Luo had a lot of respect for the Old Man and I think that that is really important to realize because this shows the difference between Four- Eyes and the other boys.
ReplyDeleteWhy did the author choose to use the "jade dumplings" rather than other ways of blatantly showing poverty? The jade dumplings also relate to the coming of age because they are being respectful to the old miller's traditions, and are being open to new ideas and practices.
ReplyDeleteWhich social classes did the Cultural Revolution affect moreÉ
ReplyDeleteI think this also relates to coming of age because Luo and the narrator are growing up and are more easily able to handle difficult situations.
Do you think the old miller enjoyed the way he lived?
ReplyDeleteI think their trip to the old miller's house also related to reeducation, because the narrator and Luo were able to see how life in the villages were different from the life they were accustomed to.