My Final Post, What We Learn From the Little Seamstress

*THIS POST GIVES AWAY THE ENDING TO "BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS" 

So I finished "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress." In the end the Little Seamstress leaves. She had started to change after hew abortion and then left. She became more modern and then left with out a goodbye. I wondered about why it was exactly she chose to leave. I think she had just finally gone through enough in her little town and had to leave. Though she never had the opportunity to learn she needed to. There comes a point at everyone's life where you become so mature you need to grow up. I think that though her decision seems quick and reckless, but she was really ready for it.

Often this moment comes with a anger. Anger at parents, anger at yourself. Some kind of anger. One becomes so caught up in his or her own need to grow that teenage angst forms. Teenagers are famous for this angst. I think that means you aren't really so mature that you can't stand everyone else, rather you think you are mature but very often are really just hopelessly confused. I liked that the Little Seamstress was truly ready when she left. She wasn't angry or upset. She was very calm. I think that this proves she is ready to leave more than anything.

I think it was Balzac more than her abortion that changed her. Which is interesting because you would think that a abortion would effect someone more than a book. I think this is also shows her maturity. If it was the abortion that caused her to leave she may have been angry at Luo for getting her pregnant, or at China's laws for making it so hard to get that abortion but making it impossible to keep the child. The banned books just inspired her to grow up so she could see the outside world. She learned about far away places like France and unheard of feelings like love. Her perspective on the world change resulting in a loss of innocence and the need to leave. The abortion just taught her about the harsh realitys of the world. A lesson more than a change.

I think that the Little Seamstress is actually a good example of a responsible teenager, despite her pregnancy. She made a mistake as a teenager but she learned from it. She grew up and left when she needed to. She didn't blame anyone. Which is really easy to do sometimes. She prepared herself for the outside world by slowly changing, she didn't rush into anything. I think as hard as it is, it's important for teenagers not to totally lose there minds. Not as easy as it sounds. Most importantly we need to learn from our mistakes. Learn from our mistakes, let books change us and never stop moving forward. Thanks Little Seamstress.

*This is my final post, so thanks to everyone who reads this and thanks to Ms. Robbins. If you have time please please please please check out and follow my blog "And A Little Bit Not"  for poetry, vignettes, some things that are almost essays but not really, lists, and everything else that goes through my mind. *

Monsieur Ozu and Dumbldore

May i just say I love Monsieur Ozu and his relationship with Paloma, but especially Renee. I love him like I love Dumbldore. I think I would cry just as hard if he died like when Dumbldore died. Any way I think Monsieur Ozu kind of saved Renee. I think she was content keeping her thoughts to herself but she has realized that sharing her thoughts to some one who understand isn't necessarily going to make her life miserable, as she thinks would happen if she opened herself up to any one.

What I love about Monsieur Ozu is that he has a "child-like enthusiasm." This isn't to say he is childish, but he enjoys and is amazed by all the world has to offer. He, like Dumbledore, is wise, old, and helped the main character. Monsieur Ozu however, unlike Dumbledore (and all the old men like him in story's), is not teaching Renee anything. They are simply friends.  At the same time Renee has become a good friend to Monsieur Ozu and he obviously needs her company as much she needs his.

I appreciate this because often in story's the main character meets someone who they are somewhat friends with but the main character is more like, for lack of a better word, a apprentice. I find Monsieur Ozu and Renee's friendship refreshing.  The same could be said for Paloma except she has not really learned as much from being friends with him because she is still set on committing suicide. I think that she will change her mind. I at least hope she will.

Ozu, Renee and phenomenology

I just finished chapter 1 in the section "on grammar," in "Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. I have to say I find it interesting that Renee so quickly changed her thoughts on the man who moved in. After hearing his name and knowing that he is the man who created the movies she adores her entire perspective changed. Suddenly she became much fascinated in him. I mean she was interested before because no one had ever moved in or out of the building when she was there, but besides that her only worry was of the change a new person could bring.

I find it interesting that she had let her secret intelligence show a bit by mistake before she knew who he was.  Perhaps it simply was a mistake, that the author needed him to find out about her so they become friends but I think it was more then that. Maybe it was as Renee suspects, that she unconsciously wanted him to find out. That would make sense as Renee has spent a good bit of time remarking on phenomenology, the study of consciousness. Closer still but why do I feel there is more to it. I think Renee is so lonely that even if she thought that she must put on a facade she really wanted someone to talk to more then anything. Really the only people she talks to are the maid and Neptune, a woman's dog.

The author is trying to show that despite ones independence and that one may think they are above others, really we need people more then anything else in the world. Keeping everything we think to ourselves can drive us crazy. Often I have to write secrets down or tell someone before I can really feel at ease. Renee has a journal and Paloma keeps to as she writes down her thoughts and try's to convince herself not to commit suicide (A bit half-heartily but I'll leave that for another blog post.)