Mighty, Mythical and Profoundly Solitary

A symbol that reoccurs throughout the novel, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, is “The Phoenix in the Sky” which is the name of the mountain that the narrator and Luo were sent to be reeducated on. This metaphor is significant to the story as it represents hope and coming of age.

“The name was a poetic way of suggesting its terrifying altitude; the poor sparrows and common birds of the plain could never soar to its peak, for that has the reserve of winged creatures allied to the sky: mighty, mythical and profoundly solitary”(11). This quote is used to describe the Phoenix of the Sky, the mountain on which Luo and the narrator are being re-educated. A phoenix is a mythical bird of many colors that is known to be reborn or regenerated when it dies. It is a God-like creature, capable of flying to great heights. The phoenix is a symbol used commonly throughout the narrator’s account of his experiences during re-education. He describes the Phoenix as a solitary being, detached from the “common birds of the plain[s].” This sentiment symbolizes the isolation the narrator experiences upon his arrival to Phoenix Mountain and his detachment from his former life. The narrator's description is representative of two major themes in the book: his aspiration for liberation and his coming of age. The phoenix is a metaphor for how he must first “die,” by leaving the city, to be reborn as a phoenix. He looks up to the phoenix as becoming a better man once he survives his ordeal. It represents his hope for being liberated from re-education and becoming something great.

“Nonetheless, our home soon became the focal point of the village, thanks to another phoenix, a smaller version, miniature almost, and rather more earthbound, whose master has my friend Luo”(13). Of course, this “phoenix” is not a phoenix at all but Luo’s alarm clock. The alarm clock was a source of evasion from the boys’ tough work in the mountains because it allowed them to turn time an hour back or forward with the villagers being none the wiser. Although the alarm clock only grants them a minute degree control, it becomes a luxury in their new lives with few resources. While the smaller phoenix is merely an alarm clock, it stands for their hope to return to their homes, which demonstrates how the alarm clock and the phoenix are two intertwined symbols in the novel. Because the boys can change the time on the device, it provides them with a small amount of control over their lives. Being relocated to a place in which their lives are constantly being controlled, there are not many opportunities to live freely, but to own this phoenix that they can control, however, gives them the idea of a hope for a life that they can control more of. The “master” of the clock, Luo, is able to be dominant in a world where he is restricted to do so, and the narrator is able to benefit from these luxuries that come from the metaphorical bird, as well.