Stacy Papez

So what did you think abou the book overall?

As I first completed this novel, I thought the plot (or lack thereof) wasn't particularly gripping. I immediately thought why anyone would actually think this book was great. However after some period of thought, (prompted by those unspeakably cruel inventions known as summer homework) I began to see that there was something more to this book than a retelling of life within Mao's Communist Revolution. This something will hopefully be covered within my post and in class.

Which character did you find most likable?

The most likable character by far was Luo, as the I read this novel from Ma's (narrator's) point of view, I immediately placed Luo as one of those cool-big brother figures. Indeed, the very opening of this novel shows this when Luo smoothly convinces the village people that Mozart was the farthest thing from reactionary. My only wish about this book was that it should have been told completely from Luo's perspective (then again, this might be the author's way of saying that Luo's masterful storytelling cannot be imitated even by the author).

Despicable?

The most despicable character IMo would definately be Four-Eyes. He not only betrays his friends when he refuses relinquish his books but also butchers the integrity (or lack thereof) of the old mountain man's stories for his own personal gain. He is a survivalist who parasitically feeds on the best qualities of all people.

What do you think this book is saying about education?

The book is filled with examples of irony that the author most likely included to show his disdain for Mao's revolution. Many examples include...

1. Luo and Ma are the one's being re-educated about the way's of peasant life but end up reading more books than they previously had done (with there middle school education)

2. It is Luo and Ma who are supposed to be re-educated but it is ultimately they who re-educate the Little Seamstress

Previous question +"What do you make of the book's ending"

There is a very perplexing question about education within this novel that I still cannot completely understand: What was different