Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis

All attempts at control, both governmentally and individually, prove to be ineffective. In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, the narrator illustrated how the governmental re-education turned out to work against its intended purpose, as the most significant things he learned while living in the mountain village was through illegal literature. He and Lou were unable to be controlled by the government in this way, and were also not constrained when Four Eyes withheld his ‘forbidden books’ from them, as they ended up stealing them anyways. The village headmaster was unable to completely control them, as they ultimately had some power over him when they took his rotten tooth out. No individual or organized group can possess complete control over someone because the person trying to be controlled has an unending desire to constantly become more knowledgeable about the world around them. When the narrator arrived at the mountain village, he was not oblivious to Mao’s tactics of re-education. Since he saw the flaws and …show more content…
In all cases, the possession of power led to corruption, as Mao became overbearing in the lives of the Chinese, Four Eyes selfishly hoarded the books, and, most importantly, the narrator treated the headmaster spitefully when given the opportunity to inflict excessive pain. However, the actions of the narrator ultimately concluded in him burning the books out of sadness. The only thing that he valued more than the books was having someone to divulge their contents to in order to not only improve his life, but theirs as well. Controlling one's fate through words of others leads to demise, but only if the flow of information is restricted by a dam of corruption. Freedom of speech, expression and pursuit of happiness tend to dissipate these issues, leading to the liberation of