In Dai Sijie ́s novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, the narrator and his friend Luo
get to read several books by many different authors. However, Dai chose to name his novel
after the French Revolution era author, Honore de Balzac. The novel takes place during the
Cultural Revolution; a mass campaign in the People's Republic of China, organized by the
leader of the Communist Party, Mao Zedong, from 1966 to 1976. It directed against senior
party officials and intellectuals whom Mao and his followers accused of betraying
revolutionary ideals. When reading the books, the characters get a different message, idea, or
feel connected to each one of them.
The first book that Luo and the narrator get to read is Ursule …show more content…
This themes relate directly to Luo and
the narrator’s situation in the book, where everything they do is a response to what has
happened around them and their environment, while they are also always thinking about what
their place in society is and what they will do in the future. The book was also important
because it is the first book given to the boys, and the one that most shocks them because it is
their first taste of Western Literature. The story of Ursule can also be argued to be mirroring
the Little Seamstress’, since they are both girls who are in a difficult love situation, and
maybe this is why the narrator and Luo like it so much. The other good aspect of this novel
would be that it’s many different messages appeal to different audiences; while the boys are
more interested in the themes of women and their beauty, the seamstress likes the
philosophical side of the novel, making it interesting for all audiences.
After stealing FourEyes’ suitcase, the boys get the opportunity to read another novel called
JeanChristophe by Romain Rolland. This book ended up being the narrator’s favorite, as …show more content…
The difference between this book and Ursule Minuet
is that while the first book they read had an effect on both boys, the narrator decided to keep
JeanChristophe all to himself, therefore only he got to enjoy it.
Another book which was influential to the boys was Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre
Dumas. This book’s main character Dante is very similar to the Seamstress because they both
undergo a drastic change; Dante leaves prison after getting a priest’s advice, and the
Seamstress goes through something similar after listening to the boys’ stories. The book’s
main theme is revenge, and would probably influence Luo and the Narrator to think about
spreading this idea to other victims of reeducation. The Little Seamstress is largely affected
by this story too, when she and Luo act it out when they go swimming. When she narrates the
scene she says “It was a totally new experience for me. Before, I had no idea that you could
take on the role of a completely different person, actually become that person a rich lady,
for example and still be yourself. Luo told me I'd be a good actress" (145) In this