"They're waiting for the blood to congeal," he replied. "It's a remedy against cowardice. To gain courage, you must swallow it when it's still lukewarm and frothy."(94)
The Ginkgo Tree
The Buffalo
Throughout the novel, blood is shown to be a symbol of power, strength, and courage. The headman, who is in charge of the village, has three dots of blood in his eye. It is an unusual trait that not only marks him as unique, but shows people that he has seen battle and gotten injured, and this makes people look up to him as a leader. Blood is used in a different fashion to further exemplify how the narrator looks up to Luo. After having sex with the Little Seamstress, Luo shares his experience with the narrator, describing in detail that “her blood dripped onto the leaves [of a ginkgo tree] scattered underneath.” After he tells the story, the narrator looks up to Luo because he has experienced something the narrator has only been able to read about in books. Finally, when Four-Eyes is told he can leave the village, the headman allows him to slay a buffalo and drink the blood from its neck. It is an ancient ritual that is said to give men courage. These three alone could show the significance of blood in the novel, but the red color of blood is also the symbol of Communist China and the godlike way Mao is viewed. He has immense power in his country. The color red is even shown on the cover, with the red shoes. It is clear that blood and the color red impact the novel in a major way.
Based on Mao's connection to the color red and the power of blood through the novel, do you think there will be an increase in blood or red in relation to Luo and the narrator?
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ReplyDelete(My mistake for posting above comment) The conversation between Luo and the narrator shows how close they are, and, especially with Luo's experience, could relate to coming of age. How do you think others not used to such traditions, such as those from the city, or those who aren't part of the celebration view the drinking of the blood?
ReplyDeleteThe buffalo is emphasized in the text and it talks about the way it is best served, could it mean that the buffalo is a display of power because it was once a great mighty animal and now it is being served to eat?
ReplyDeleteI think the connection between blood/the color red and its symbolical meaning is really interesting, because a negative symbol (blood) can represent power, courage, or strength. These contradictory elements can be connected. Isn't red a royal color in China?
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