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we meet the narrator and his best friend luo. who are both being re-educated in a small, mountainside village. the headman of the village is inspecting a violin the narrator brought with him. the narrator gives us some context about the Cultural Revolution and re-education camps. Luo's dad (a famous dentist) is publicly humiliated for mentioning Mao and Jiang Jieshi in the same sentence.

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The narrator -  Seventeen years old. Main character (?). Luo's best friend. Father is a doctor, mother is a parasitic disease specialist. can play the violin

Luo - eighteen years old. best friend with the narrator. Quirky, Smart , quick thinking, calm, cool, and collected.  Luo's father is a famous dentist.

The headman -  scary looking (three spots of blood in his left eye, nose hairs). Intimidating. Strong figure and Communist.

Luo's  father- famous dentist who worked on Mao's teeth. Accused of sleeping with his nurse (did not actually).

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Definition (adjective) such as to provoke laughter.

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definition: (adjective) winding or turing one way or another

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the narrator - he's really good at the violin; but he knows a lot of classical pieces; plays pieces Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven. Still seems kind of shy/stage fright - takes a back seat to lou when telling the story of the movie. The narrator seems to be Luo's sidekick?

Lou - Good at storytelling, addicted to cigarettes, likes to entertain. he is understandably depressed - three kids in a thousand might get out of re-education. Luo continues to prove that he's quick-witted, smart, and tricky (alarm clock manipulation).

The Headman - he's fascinated by the alarm clock and he really likes storytelling. Wants to be entertained.

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The narrator describes, their living conditions (Phoenix mountain and the house on stilts) as well as their 'job,' moving human and animal excrement from the village to the fields (gross). we learn the village is not very civilized, as they are curious/confused by the alarm clock. the headman gives the boys new job - going to the nearby village, watching the movies, and returning to tell the story of what they saw.

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Luo and the narrator meet the tailor on their way to visit Four-Eyes. Later, when they go to have Luo's trousers lengthened, they meet the Little Seamstress. They learn more about the tailor from the LS. There is a little bit of flirting between the LS and Luo.

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Definition: (adjective) not embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.

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The little seamstress - daughter of the tailor. she can't read much but likes to talk to people who can read and write (like to hear other ideas). Flirting with Luo. Alone the majority of the time. beautiful, pretty eyes, long eyelashes.

The Tailor - Father of the LS. He's wealthy, powerful, treated like royalty/ celebrity. Travels from village to village for his tailoring services.

four-eyes - Luo and the narrator's friend from the city. He's being re-educated in a different village.

Lou- appears to like the LS. he denies his interest in the seamstress y saying "she's not civilzed, at least enough for me"(27). Despite the poor living conditions, he continues to grow.

the narrator - Maybe he likes the LS as well? He's quiet, he seems to take a backseat to Luo.

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Luo and the narrator have been assigned a new job - working in the coal mine. Luo and the narrator think that they are going to die in the mine, and eventually, Luo comes down with malaria. the villagers/coal miners try to whip the sickness out of Luo, but he is still sick. Luo receives a letter from the little seamstress in which she tells him that the headman of her village has asked that the boys tell the stories of the movies they have seen.

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Definition: (adjective) disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury.

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The narrator - scared of dying in the mine (would see his life flash before his eyes often). worried he'll never see his parents again.

Luo - scared of dying in the mine. comes down with malaria

The little seamstress - Thinking about Luo. She can read and write, thanks to her father, the tailor. Flirting with Luo again through the letter. She's spoken to her village headman to see if Luo and the narrator could come to her village to tell the stories of the movies.

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Definition: (noun) a soft, moist mass of material typically of plant material or flour applied to the body to relieve pain and inflammation.

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The Little Seamstress- good with medicine/remedies. cares about Luo. kisses Luo. doesn't know what a dentist is, but is aware of worms in your teeth.

Luo - still fighting malaria/fever, but still wants to see the little seamstress. the second chapter in the row that he has not been the focal point (due to his sickness). can still steal the show and a kiss with a well-timed line.

The Narrator - Calls the LS pretty (does he have a crush on LS as well?) Characters development - the narrator has grown more comfortable in his storytelling abilities, telling the entire story of the little flower to the LS and the flour sorceresses. he's still not as good as Luo, but he is improving. smaller crowd? Luo wasn't there to demand the spotlight? Maybe he wants to impress the LS?

the sorceresses - old, ugly crones (witches). One has a bow with which protected them from demons (sickness). the audience for the narrator's first storytelling adventue.

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why doesn't anyone in this story has a name (besides Luo)?

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why doesn't anyone in this story has a name (besides Luo)?

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- foreshadowing something about Luo?

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Luo is still sick. They go to the LS to tell the story. The LS brings the sorceresses to help with Luo's sickness. The narrator tells the story of the movie, and with Luo's help, brings the sorceresses to tears. The LS kisses Luo.

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3 main characters luo, the narrator, and the LS
Luo's relationship with the LS.
they're new movie telling job could help them escape literally and figuratively from re-education
no names other then lou and historical figures

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definition- (adjective) getting gratification from one's own pain or humiliation

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Luo and the narrator leave the LS and make their way to see Four-eyes. the narrator finds a hidden, heavy suitcase under four-eyes bed. luo believes there are books in the suitcase, he's right and after helping four-eyes(four eyes broke his glasses) he gives them a book by the author balzac

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Lou- he's not sick anymore

4eyes- his mom is a poet and his dad is a writer. so he comes from a educated family, he's very nervous all the time bc of this he doesn't wanna spend his whole life in re-education. he has a small amount of items and among them he has a mysterious suitcase (full of books) he broke his glasses and his mom is sending new ones.

the narrator- he helped 4eyes find his glasses in the mud. he went through 4eye's items and found the suitcase

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Luo and the narrator read the book and are introduced to teenage love for the very first time. Luo goes to see the LS to take her virginity. the narrator stays at the house on stilts and is jealous that Luo has the LS as his "teenage love". The Narrator wrote some of the book in his sheepskin coat that the villagers gifted him.

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Luo- he read the book and was so moved by hearing about teenage love for the first time he went to the LS and took her virginity. he brought a leaf wrapped in a cloth with the blood of LS from taking her virginity to show the narrator

The Narrator- he read the book and felt jealous of Luo and the LS bc he wanted what they had. he hadn't felt this way before bc he didn't really know about teenage love. once he read the book he was finally introduced and wanted that for himself. he didn't even wanna play his violin bc he felt it was depressing. he wrote some of the books in his in his sheep skin coat.

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Luo and the narrator gave the book back to 4eyes. luo showed the LS the narrator's coat with the book wrote on it, she was left in shock and changed with this eye opening book. they wanted more books. 4eyes was offered a job to go and get the miller to sing his folk song so he can put it in a journal for his moms former fan. so they went to see 4eyes and they made a deal with him. if they got the miller to sing his folk song  then 4eyes would give them another book by Balzac.

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Luo- wants another book

The Narrator- he also wants another book

The Old Miller- he was offended by 4eyes rejecting his offer from his pebbles and didn't share his folk song

4eye- he was offered a job that could get him out of re education

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Luo and the narrator go to the old miller and pretend to be communist official members. they ask him about these old mountain folk songs 4eyes was trying to get. the miller stalls and says they should have a drink and a meal. the boys eat the pebbles offered by the old miller. the old miller sings a old mountain song. the boys laugh and so does the old miller.

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The Narrator - he speaks mandarin

The Old Miller - he's innocent(nieve) he's stubborn

luo - again he's quick on his feet

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4eyes was arrogant from his new job offer, he is bashing Luo and The Narrator for the song they got from The Old Miller. he said the song was inappropriate. The narrator hated 4eyes. Luo just wanted the books. the narrator punched 4eyes in the face as he was rewriting the song. the narrator blacks out. the narrator was angry bc 4eyes changed the song. the song was feeding the propaganda of oppressing the educated people and giving the government more control.

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the narrator was angry that 4eyes was feeding the propaganda by changing the song. just so he can get out of re education

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Luo- he just wants another book

The Narrator- is angry when 4eyes tries to rewrite the song, hes feeding the propoganding and selfishly turning on his friends. he said he used to get in fights before reeducation

4eyes- hes so arrogant and turns on his friends because they didn't do his job right. he changes the song to fit Mao's propaganda. he gets punched by the narrator.

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Lou, the narrator, and the LS went to go watch a movie in Yong Jing. the little flower-seller again. then they were supposed to stay in a hotel but a woman from Chengdu(the same place Luo and the narrator are from) took their room. she was on her way to get her son(4eyes). The LS and Luo got to see The LS's ancestor's grave. Meanwhile, the narrator is cooking sweet potatoes in a fire. 4eye's mom showed up by his fire. the narrator pretends to be Luo. he brings up 4eye's books and she gets very defensive. the LS proposes the idea that they should steal the books.

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definition-(noun) a person who carries luggage or other loads

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the LS- she says he's better at telling the story then the movie did. she wants to steal the books

the narrator- he brings up the books to 4eye's mom and lies and says his name is luo. he was quick on his feet. he asks why 4eye's doesn't like the narrator

4eye's mom- she's very wealthy and on her way to save 4eyes and she gets very nervous and defencive when the narrator talked about the books. he believes everything 4eyes says(he can do no wrong)

4eye- he lied to his mom and said he punched the narrator.

luo- he caught up in his teen love and doesn't really care about the books as much anymore

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definition (adjective)-obsolete through age or new technological or intellectual developments.

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definition-(adjective) attractively lively and animated

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luo set off to take another balzak book to read to the LS. on his journey he had to cross a fifty meteor ridge with a far drop, one of the times the narrator tagged along. he was terrified of this ridge but made along and back. that night he had a dream in which he say luo and the LS were crossing the ridge, the LS fell to her excruciating death. the narrator was terrified that this might actually happen. he warns luo to keep the LS off the ridge. an he agrees with persuasion.

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Luo- he was afraid of heights since they were kids. he took another Balzac book to the LS. he wasn't worried about the Narrators's dream but agreed to keep her off the ridge for a little while but not tell her the dream.

The Narrator- he went usually afraid of heights but when he went on the ridge he was terrified. he had a bad dream that the LS died falling off the ridge. he was scared this might actually happen.

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The headmen came back with horrible tooth problems. his doctor pulled out the wrong tooth. he insisted because Lou's father was a dentist he would know how to fix this, Lou refused. the tailor came to their village with many fabrics for the woman. that night the LS and The Tailor stayed with Lou and the narrator. the narrator told a story that night. this story went on for 9 whole nights. the tailor stayed up through all of this. the tailor made this story a big part of fashion. The headman heard the narrator telling the story to the tailor. the headman said he was going to turn him into the security officials but then he made a deal with Luo that if he fixed his tooth then the headman wouldn't bother turning the narrator in.

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the narrator- realizes he is a bit of a sadist(C15) according to luo, the narrator's storytelling is superior to luo's (C14). when the headman discovers the narrator telling stories, the narrator is scared of torture/never getting off the mountain.(C14)

Luo - comes up with the sewing machine /drill idea to help save the narrator. Loyal to his friend - insists that he accompany the narrator if he is taken away by the headman.

the tailor- apparently doesn't need sleep - works all day and lisens to the boys' stories all night. western literature is influencing him as well. he is incorporating french styles (from the book) into the clothes that he makes for the villagers. (C14)

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the narrator - he's been putting his own touch on his stories he's been reading. the way he narrates the book he tells stories. luo told the narrator to guard the LS for him. he painted the LS's nails and did laundry and chores around the house for her. a gang of guys who wanted the LS assaulted the narrator by throwing a rock at his ear. his bag was spilled and his book was revealed. the narrator snatched it and then ran. he had a crush on the LS.

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luo-
the LS- she wants to make Luo happy. they play a game where luo throws her
she learns how to swim better. shes more comfortible with luo and herself shes inventurus. she enjoys acting out storys

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the narrator- the narrator had gave up his favorite items to save the LS, he loved her and said she was his soul mate

the LS- she had the baby aborted, it was a girl. after the abortion she didn't want to rest she wanted to see her ancestors at the cemetery. she was willing to jump off a building to abort this baby bc she doesn't want to go to prison for the rest of her life.

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the LS- she matures very quickly, she sees her worth. after being in the shadow of her father and Luo. she changed her appearance (she started wearing a bra, cut her hair, got white shoes, and started wearing a different jacket) she had a trauma response to when she had the abortion and wanted to change get out of what she was before.

luo- he saw the LS as an object, he was a very selfish character. he burned the books, he was so self-centered and burned the books as an irrational reaction. he didn't even think of the narrator he was drunk. the

the narrator- he felt betrayed by the LS not for leaving but for not sharing her leaving with him. he understood more then luo

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i liked the book, i felt like i wanted a more dramatic ending. but also really like the LS's development. i felt like luo was very selfish the whole book.