Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Summary

Dai Sijie is the Chinese author, who opposites side of the government of China during the Cultural Revolution, which is his childhood that he has to go to be re-educated by poor peasants. The setting of this book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, is the re-education at that time, and the main characters of this book, Luo and Ma, are re-educated students like Sijie. He uses these literary element to reveal political or social issues about the social class by the education difference, the area of living, and desire to read.
In the Sijie’s book, the literary elements are used to explore the education difference because the villagers, who live in the Phoenix of Mountain, learn how they survive by farming and mining rather than reading

Not only Luo and Ma, but also “[millions] of young people had gone before [them], and millions would follow” to go to the rural area because of the re-education policy (Sijie 7). The common point of them is well-educated at the urban area. And, because they are well- educated from the urban area, they move to rural area because of the re-education policy that Chairman Mao makes the young high school level students to be learn by poor peasants. Because of their intelligence, they have to move. (++Analysis; anyway they back to city after re-education→ movie). After the Seamstress learn the basic of reading and writing from Luo, she leaves her hometime and move to city. Although she says “she had learnt one thing from Balzac: that a woman’s beauty is a treasure beyond price,” mentioning Balzac is not only meaning that Balzac inspires her, but also meaning that she learns enough from Luo and Ma. (++ analysis; being literacy reveal to live in city like seamstress; desire to be intelligence= desire to be upper

Since the intelligentual people cannot read any books, they have the desire to read the book, and , if that book is the “western book,” their desire will be erupted. That’s because the reading foreign books is totally not existed at that time. So, the Four-eyes’ suitcase makes them curious and desire to read the books. So they work until things that he has to do, and “ Four- Eyes gave [them] a book --- a thin, worn volume. The author’s name was Balzac” ( Sijie 55). Because Luo and Ma know how to read, they want to read the book. If they do not know how to read, they do not have interest about the book, and do not care about what Four-Eyes has. So, the setting, one of the literary elements, highlights the characters’ situations that their desire to read. (++ add connection with social class). Because of policies, the foreign books are rare. After getting relationship with Luo, the Seamstress becomes the pregnant. However, there is a law that under 25 cannot marry and give the birth. Because it will against the law, Ma wants to help her.Therefore, he goes to meet the doctor in the town, who is high-educated, also has the desire to read the books. And, he makes the deal with him that “ [he] would give [the doctor his] copy of Ursule Mirouet...include the book” to do abortion