Sijie uses the symbol of the movies to show how the narrator and Luo working to creates a feeling of unity within the village and young intellectuals, thus furthering their hope of acceptance and returning home. The narrator and Luo begin to retell a film to the village. As they conclude the enticing tale, the villagers are moved by the unique story. The narrator observes that “The effect had been as grandiose as that of the screen version. The whole audience wept, even the village headman, who, for all his harshness, couldn’t hold back the tears pouring hotly from his left eye...” (Sijie 35). Luo and the narrator are able to reach out and connect to every single villager through these reenacted movies. Not only can the simple act of coming together once a month to watch these performances bring the village together, but the overwhelming shared emotion brought upon each and every villager bring a sense of unity. Having a purpose in the village, and being the ones to be responsible for this unity in the village can further bring a sense of hope and purpose to both Luo and the narrator. Additionally, After the narrator and Luo had taken several trips to the town, the narrator feels grateful for the opportunity of leaving the grueling work. He expresses his gratitude, thinking, “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that our visits to town had become an obsession but at least having to trudge across the mountain to see a film meant getting four days off from labouring in the fields…”(Sijie 81). The films gave a sense of refuge for the two youth. Rather than being forced to spend their entire time in the desolate fields working, the narrator and Luo are given a chance to travel. This provides hope for them to get through the strenuous re-education since they have journeys to look forward to. Therefore, the films unite the villagers through emotional affect, and at the same time give hope to the youth.Friday, October 4, 2019
The Underlying Power of Movies
Sijie uses the symbol of the movies to show how the narrator and Luo working to creates a feeling of unity within the village and young intellectuals, thus furthering their hope of acceptance and returning home. The narrator and Luo begin to retell a film to the village. As they conclude the enticing tale, the villagers are moved by the unique story. The narrator observes that “The effect had been as grandiose as that of the screen version. The whole audience wept, even the village headman, who, for all his harshness, couldn’t hold back the tears pouring hotly from his left eye...” (Sijie 35). Luo and the narrator are able to reach out and connect to every single villager through these reenacted movies. Not only can the simple act of coming together once a month to watch these performances bring the village together, but the overwhelming shared emotion brought upon each and every villager bring a sense of unity. Having a purpose in the village, and being the ones to be responsible for this unity in the village can further bring a sense of hope and purpose to both Luo and the narrator. Additionally, After the narrator and Luo had taken several trips to the town, the narrator feels grateful for the opportunity of leaving the grueling work. He expresses his gratitude, thinking, “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that our visits to town had become an obsession but at least having to trudge across the mountain to see a film meant getting four days off from labouring in the fields…”(Sijie 81). The films gave a sense of refuge for the two youth. Rather than being forced to spend their entire time in the desolate fields working, the narrator and Luo are given a chance to travel. This provides hope for them to get through the strenuous re-education since they have journeys to look forward to. Therefore, the films unite the villagers through emotional affect, and at the same time give hope to the youth.
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Something to add is also how story-telling brings the two youths closer to each other. In the beginning of the story, the narrator is not very talented in story-telling, unlike Luo. However, when he's talking to the old tailor, he becomes almost even better than Luo at this talent and grows. This shows how the two can learn from each other and help each other, which plays a large role throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteAdding on to Allan's comment, story-telling is also shown to have a greater importance to the story than even the narrator's violin, which conflicts the narrator's thoughts at the beginning of the book when he disparages Luo's story-telling and props up his musical skill as the more meaningful talent between the two of them. However, as the book progresses, we see the narrator become more connected to the art of story-telling and come into his own, surpassing his former prejudices about this talent.
ReplyDeleteWhat common ground does storytelling create between everyone? Why is it so unifying if they're just repeating a vague memory of a movie?
ReplyDeleteThis ties into hope because the unity makes the narrator, Luo, and the villagers hopeful for their future and hopeful they will be able to get out of the re-education system they're confined to.
Something interesting here is that the films don't just symbolize hope, but in some ways, intellectual liberty. When they return to the village and spread the ideas, that is what they are doing. They are giving knowledge to where there once was none. The villagers dealt with these epics of emotion and poetry and it connected them not only to each other, but to Luo and the narrator.
ReplyDeleteIs this hope for the boys and exposure for the village ultimately beneficial or detrimental to their mindsets? I like how this is connected well to the topic of hope for the future and that it can also build connections with others, but the fact that the villagers and the boys get just a taste of a desirable experience makes the reader want to ask, what if they crave more of this? All the people are limited in their access to this experience, so would this simply be a beneficial treat for once in a while or would it become a detrimental, insatiable craving for more?
ReplyDeleteCould it also be giving Luo and the narrator another purpose in life? Because their lives of re-education have forced them into pessimistic mindset, giving them the chance to travel outside and serve a purpose for the village could also help the two boys in not giving up and realizing that they are needed in this village and therefore regain hope in their lives.
ReplyDeleteI think its very interesting how you connected the idea of shared emotion to the unity of the villagers. I never thought about the topic of unity before. Since the seamstress is so far removed from the village, she probably doesnt get to enjoy the unity the villagers feel amongst Luo and the narrator. Do you think Luo and the narrator's visits impacted her more because of her relative isolation?
ReplyDeleteWere the movies the narrator and Luo were acting out also a form of intellectual liberty for the proletariat on the mountain? These peasants had never experienced entertainment similar to this because of their sheltered lives, which is why they were so moved by the acting. Does this show how instead of re-educating the city boys, the villagers were also re-educated? They were introduced to movies, forms of stories, by the city boys that were previously unheard of to them.
ReplyDelete