In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, the author, Dai Sijie, uses the symbolism of the narrator’s sheepskin coat and Balzac’s book in order to exemplify the effects of the restrictions of intellectual liberty on adolescents.
Balzac Book
“The magic of translation! The ponderousness of the two syllables as well as the belligerent, somewhat old-fashioned ring of the name were quite gone” (56).
This quote suggests the limitation of western influence in China and also illustrates an analogy to how the Cultural Revolution deprived Chinese people of refined culture and intellectual liberty. When the narrator is in awe at the “magic of translation,” he hints that translation of Balzac’s French name into Chinese drastically changes the sound and the feel of the name. When he follows up by saying that the “ponderousness” and the “old-fashioned ring” of the name were “quite gone,” he suggests that the Chinese translation strips away much of the essence of Balzac’s name. One can infer that Mao’s regime accomplishes something similar by censoring and altering intellectual materials such as literature, music, and art that comes from Western cultures. This drastic alteration alludes to the fact that the Cultural Revolution took over people’s lives and stripped them of their intellectual liberty through the teaching of revolutionary propaganda and the limitation of outside influence on Chinese thinking.
“Picture, if you will, a boy of nineteen, still slumbering in the limbo of adolescence, having heard nothing but revolutionary blather about patriotism, communism, ideology and propaganda all his life, falling headlong into a story of awakening desire, passion, impulsive action, love, of all the subjects had, until then, been hidden from me” (57).
The lack of intellectual liberty during the cultural revolution greatly affects the adolescent youth. As one of many victims of resettlement, these teens are sent to the mountains to have all signs of western development wiped from their knowledge. While under the rule of Mao, the entire community of China is responsible to surrendering anything bourgeois to Mao’s communist views. However, with the great impact of western influences in only first edition of Balzac’s literature, it can only be inferred that with more reading, Luo and the Narrator are bound to resist their re-education even more. Luo and the Narrator’s growing thirst for outside knowledge can only seem to lead them into mischievous activities, getting them in trouble with the headmaster of the village while they could possibly watch their chance of going home dissipate.
Narrator’s Sheepskin Coat
“‘When she’d finished reading she sat there quite still, open-mouthed. Your coat was resting on the flat of her hands, the way a sacred object lies in the palms of the pious’” (62).
This passage compares the sheepskin coat to a holy object. The author is suggesting that the words written on the coat are “holy” and carry a special weight to them. This shows the power of ideas and how the right ideas can sway people’s opinions dramatically. Despite their lifetimes of communist propaganda, Luo, the narrator, and the Little Seamstress are all quickly enraptured by the western ideas inside of Balzac’s book. This quote shows that despite bad odds, intellectual liberty will always be able to break through.
“‘She ended up putting your wretched coat on (which looked very good on her, I must say). She said having Balzac’s words next to her skin made her feel good, and also more intelligent’” (62).
This quote shows that the sheepskin is an important object that relates to intellectual liberty. The narrator writes his favorite quotes and passages on the coat in case that the never get their hands on the book again after returning to Four Eyes. This shows that they really embrace Western literature. They are awed by the power of words, and their imagination expands drastically. From reading the book, they learn more about the outside world. Even though their life is about communism, they are still captured by the words of Western literature. This shows that just by reading and being surrounded by words itself makes them feel more exposed to the outside world and more intelligent.
Do you think that other adolescents being re-educated during this time period would feel the same way about Balzac's books if they had the chance to read them?
ReplyDeleteI think that some of these quotes also relate to coming of age, and how reading the books will influence what kind of people Luo and the narrator become. I think it may also intensify their feelings against Mao and the Cultural Revolution.
Do you think that other adolescents being re-educated during this time period would feel the same way about Balzac's books if they had the chance to read them?
ReplyDeleteI think that some of these quotes also relate to coming of age, and how reading the books will influence what kind of people Luo and the narrator become. I think it may also intensify their feelings against Mao and the Cultural Revolution.
How could the writings on the sheepskin coat have affected Luo and the narrator's actions further on in the book?
ReplyDeleteI think that the books and writing relate to coming of age in that they help the protagonists to mature and learn from them. By experiencing outside literature and knowledge, they learn and grow to become more independent.
Would other means of exposure to "intellectual" values, such as sophisticated art, make the same impact on adolescents at this time?
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that these quotes relate to is the theme of coming of age. The characters acknowledge the beauty and depth of the outside world by embracing the literature they are exposed to. After only having access to propaganda, having the freedom to pursue their own interests in books empowers them to shift their worldview.
The narrators said he and Luo had only received middle school education. Do you think they would still appreciate the stories they were reading as much if they had gotten more education?
ReplyDeleteThe quotes chosen connect very clearly to intellectual liberty
Do you think that being exposed to Western culture will cause Luo and the narrator to resist against resettlement and Mao?
ReplyDeleteThese quotes relate to intellectual liberty because Luo and the narrator have been hidden from the culture and stories from countries outside of China, but the books have exposed them to many to the outside world.
I thought it was insightful how you noticed the narrator's thoughts on the translation on Balzac's name. I had not realized that the narrator's opinion on the altered sound of the name contributed to the theme of stifling intellectual liberty presented by the Cultural Revolution.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think that the Little Seamstress felt compelled to learn to read and embrace the new knowledge even though she could be punished if they go caught?
ReplyDeleteThis analysis also relates to the theme of loss, the boys did not lose a person in this particular situation, but they lost their intellectual liberty and are desperately trying to hold on to it. Their actions of stealing the books and teaching the Little Seamstress to read are a different way of dealing with the loss than most of the other citizens of China, they are in serious denial as opposed to simply accepting their fate of a world with no outside literature.
I really liked your table's blog, because the analysis was really in depth and thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great analysis, do you think that the Narrator and Loa would be as invested in books as they are, if they weren't being re-educated?
ReplyDelete