The boys’ good sense of humour helps the boys survive their re-education. Luo and the Narrator promptly invent to avert accusations of bourgeois tendencies successfully. The boys exploit the ignorance of the peasants with their quick wit. For example, when the boys first arrive in the village, the headman of the village hears the narrator play his violin (the ‘bourgeois toy’), and asks what the name of the piece of music is (all music by Western composers had been banned). Their sense of humour helps them over their first hurdle - how to avoid condemnation. Luo and the narrator promptly invent explanation. As soon as Luo becomes ‘alarmed’ by the suspicious tone of the headman, he quickly breaks in and says ‘Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao’. This suggests the speedy thinking of Luo, and because of this, the boys avoid trouble. Having received their first banned Western literature from Four Eyes, for another novel, Luo and the Narrator needed to obtain uplifting lyrics with an undertone of romantic realism’ from the ignorant Old Miller. The boys wear like ‘an official…of a Communist Party conference”. Their quick wittedness is also seen, when they act like mandarin-speaking officials from Beijing. –tooth chapter 15-
The power of storytelling helps them to endure their time on the mountain. Telling of tales is a significant aspect of the novel, since the Chinese oral tradition has a long history. –chapter 2- oral cinema show ‘I was overcome with fear’
The narrator talks about –mechanical repetition- whereas Luo does it in a engaging way. –chapter 13- later on in the book, however narrator is also a good storyteller – jeon Christophe (into reading) chapter 14- tells the story to the tailor. This ability to tell stories was like the skill that they had which kept them mentally and physically agile, because that was something that they could be creative.
The boys were resourceful, adaptable and flexible. This is seen when they visit the miller to obtain the mountain folk songs… With the banned books, they were able to accomplish a number of things successfully. For example, the narrator was able persuade a doctor and successfully arrange an abortion for the Seamstress. He showed his sheep skin jacket to the doctor who knew it was a translation by Fu Lei, Balzac’s translator. The narrator then gave the doctor copies of Ursule Mirouet and Jean Christophe in exchange for successful ‘medical intervention’. Obviously people were hungry for literature that plumbed the depths of human thought and emotions. Also, the boys wouldn’t have obtained the ‘old songs’ without their tactful acting of Chinese officials.
Chapter 9 – miller (dress, role play etc)
The two main characters’ traits … It was the inner strengths, not just the physical strength. The Narrator and Luo would not have been able to survive their re-education without these qualities that they had.
