Pages 1 – 43

[will]

Copied from the old version of the discussion board

I had forgotten how graphic the novel is compared to the film. I teach this to college students, and I’m wondering if you could teach this book in a high school setting? I know high school teachers often use the film version in class instead.

That being said, here are a few discussion questions to get us started:

How does the framing of Fugui’s story by the intellectual narrator add to the novel?

What is the historical context of this portion of the story? What is going on in China in the 1940s? How does the historical background contribute to the story?

How does this part of the book speak to the theme of corruption in society in the 1940s?

Describe Fugui’s relationship with his father. Can we learn about Chinese family structure from thinking about this relationship? What about his relationship with Jiazhen (up to page 43)?

How do you like the writing style? How would you describe it?

Please respond to any/all of these questions, and also please feel free to raise your own topics for discussion or ask me questions!
-Krista

 

The framing of Fugui’s story by the intellectual narrator added an additional layer to the story in my opinion. It is almost as if Fugui is confessing his bad choices in life to the narrator, such as a catholic would to a priest. You can see Fugui’s Taoist beliefs in the way he excepts the Ying and Yang in his life, the consequences of those choices, and also the need to explain why he is content with so little. It lead me to believe the author’s theme might be like the lyrics to the Cindy Lauper’s song, “Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have”.
-Martha

 

I certainly agree with the framing of the story AND that it does feel like he’s confessing, wanting forgiveness or to unload his guilt to a listening ear. The “whoring”, riding on the backs of others of a lesser class, and treatment of women was quite an “eye opener” for the Asian people. Apparently I need to dig a little deeper into their past lives….very interesting. I do remember reading that if the Titanic had been loaded with Asians, or maybe it was Japanese in particular, that the women and children would have sank with the ship and ONLY the men would have survived, because of their low value of females and offspring.

The corruption at this time is unbelievable and tragic, but I’m sure it was the same way in other areas of the world….even here in the U.S. where it might have been “overlooked”, more likely in an earlier time period here I guess though.
-Michelle

 

In reading this, I realized how little I know about Chinese culture at this time. One would think that a son would have more respect for the father. He seemed to say very little positive aspects about his father – focusing on his bathroom habits and the fact he had gambled away half of the estate. I also found it interesting that his father had to pay his son’s gambling debts. What would have happened had he not done so? Or was a father obligated to do so because of family honor? I also wondered about the social mores concerning divorce. Is that how it was done in mid-century China? Was there a stigma attached to the woman from that point forward? I must admit that I don’t find the main character a very sympathetic one. What a jerk! However, I’ve only read the first 43 pages so I guess there is still time for my opinion to change.
-Tim

 

Reading this novel, I think it could be taught to high school students by a teacher who knows about Chinese culture and would be able to teach students about the effects of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. I think it could be a valuable tool to use in a World History or Chinese Studies class. The novel does touch on many topics that are still considered taboo in our culture (sex, gambling, whoring, etc.), but none that students have not encountered in other novels like The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, or more modern young adult novels like Speak or The Hate U Give. Personally, I would not feel comfortable teaching this novel because I don’t know enough about the historical context to really do it justice in the classroom.
-Taci

 

 

[Krista]

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