Secret Symbols
Sijie uses the symbols of the alarm clock and the sheepskin coat to represent Luo and the narrator’s expression of intellectual liberty. The alarm clock symbolizes the two boys’ intellectual superiority that allowed them to have more control over their situation. The sheepskin coat represents their hunger for knowledge and the curiosity they have once they have been exposed to Western literature. They both represent a form of rebellion against the barriers that had been put up around them. Manipulating the clock allows them to get more rest and take advantage of the headman. Writing on the sheepskin coat would definitely be considered reactionary, but their determination to learn outweighs their fear of the possible consequences for their actions.
Quotes
“After that historic morning we got into the habit of re-adjusting the time on the alarm clock” (15).
“In the end we had changed the position of the hands so many times that we had no idea what the time really was” (15).
Quotes
“It was the first time in my life that I had felt any desire to copy sentences from a book” (58).
“This fellow Balzac is a wizard … He touched the head of this mountain girl .. and she was transformed … She ended up putting on your wretched coat … She said having Balzac’s words next to her skin made her feel good, and also more intelligent.” (62)
Do you think that the alarm clock was the biggest example of power? The sheepskin coat also connects to literature because it shows how devoted the narrator has become to western novels.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting how you perceived the idea of the clocks and coat being a form of rebellion, but it adds a new perspective that I had never thought of. Do you think they will take their rebellion further and do something to help others rebel?
ReplyDeleteI think it's really nice how you connected the clock to the idea of power. I definitely think that the clock shows that Luo and narrator maybe has a little bit more intellectual liberty than the townspeople.
ReplyDeleteI like how you connected the clock to freedom, as well as the words written on the sheepskin coat. I can see how they both connect to intellectual liberty and how the both the main characters' desire is stronger than their fear of consequences.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how you described the alarm clocks as a way of rebellion against Mao and reeducation, however I didn't understand why it represented rebellion. In what ways does the book support this?
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea of how these were both considered a rebellion against the Mao. I also never would have thought of the alarm clock being a symbol of power because I get the sense that the narrator and Luo have been shut out of any sort of political responsibility, so that was really insightful.
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting how you say Sijie connects the alarm clock and the coat to the narrator's and Lou's expression of intellectual meaning. These are unique symbols that I would of not been able to connect.
ReplyDeleteI like the analysis of the alarm clocks, and how it relates to control and as a symbol of nonconforming. The seemingly common symbols can be easily looked past, but the importance of them brought up add to the complexity of the book.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you found multiple symbolic purposes for the clock and the coat yet manage to connect them all in a way that is very insightful and shows how complex the whole situation in the book is.
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