Stroies Influence/balzac

Power of Stories

Stories were invented a by people at the dawn of civilization for many reasons. Some stories were invented to tell history, some to show patterns. In the book "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" they discover what stories can do to them, and how powerful they are. In the book the Communists ban literature so the people lose there individualism so the government can have complete control of the nation.

Stories told to show the past are important because they make people remember the past so they don't repeat it. When there was a console to get the sickness out of Luo by wiping him with "two Branches, one from a peach tree, the other from a willow." They said to Luo "Only these trees would do"(p34). This shows that they if they had been told that wiping wouldn't help a sickness, then they mite not of beaten Luo. This also shows that they have lost some civility by not being able to learn form history. Another story told is used to invoke emotions.

Stories told can sometimes bring up emotions. When the narrator tells the story about the film little flower seller, and Luo uttered the Praise "that a sincere heart can make a stone blossom... was the flower girl's heart lacking in sincerity."(p43) The sorceresses shows that even the more emotionless person can have emotions, and stories can bring it out. Also stories can bring out a persons individualism.

Individualism is an essential part of stories, because individuals tell stories. They also add and take out what they want to in the story, like Luo did when he didn't say in his story (p149) that the seamstress got bit by a snake while swimming for Lou's keys that he tossed in the water. Instead he chose to talk about her beauty.

In Conclusion Stories are important for the communist to control so the government doesn't lose control of the people. The communists know that if the people have stories they will then have individualism. The stories give people individualism by giving them knowledge, emotions, and opinions.

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