Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

1) How is the power of imagination a major theme throughout the story?

Imagination plays a vital role in Balzac and the Little Chinese seamstress, especially because of the time and place in which the story is set. Imagination is a way for the narrator and Luo to escape the tyranny of the Chinese Revolution. The fact that the narrator and Luo are able to find hope through the creative outlets of literature, shows how the infinite powers of imagination helped them preserve their youth, event though they lived in a time period that did not accept their free-thinking.  "The only thing that Luo was really good at was telling stories.  A pleasing talent to be sure, but a marginal one, with little future in it."  The musical interests and abilities of the two main characters also shows how creatively inclined they are and the extent of what they will do to express their truly creative needs, because they are influenced by music that has been outlawed by the government.  Imagination is such a prevalent theme in the story because so much realism is referenced.  Because the main characters cope with the realism by reading literature, the reader gets craftily weaved into the same imaginative mindset.  "Reading aloud full pages word for word struck me as pretty boring, so I decided to take a different approach.  I would start by reading a couple of pages or a short chapter... When I felt good old Balzac was running out of steam I would contribute little inventions of my own, or even insert whole scenes from another novel."For the narrator and Luo, literature did not simply occupy them as a means of entertainment.  Literature sparked their imaginations that had been shielded from them by the government.  Literature set them free.

Othello Test

Throughout "Othello", elements of tragedy are frequently referenced. The men's jealousy of the other men surrounding Desdamona eventually accumulates to a hatred directed towards the protagonist, Othello. The pure tyranny of Iago's twisted plan is so tragic, because he is attacking characters that represent the innocence of a perfect community, and turning them against each other using the power of love and jealousy.

In the beginning of the story, Iago is the only character who shows any sign of discontent (with the exception of Roderigo). However, by the end of the story, every character, including Iago, is either physically or mentally damaged because of his actions. Othello obviously represents the instrument of the suffering of others, because he acts as Iago's puppet in the astounding transition from order to chaos. What makes the situation so tragic, is that the characters surrounding Othello put the fault upon him only until they see their own deaths awaiting.

The combination of love and jealousy drive the characters to easily fall into the game in which Iago has created. Ironically, the situations that Iago creates with love and jealousy is what leads him to his death. A perfect example of the fragile combination of love and jealousy is the character of Roderigo. Roderigo is such an essential character, because Iago is able to channel his hatred for the Moor through Iago. His easily manipulative mind is also blinded by his love for Desdamona, just like Othello. The only difference between the two characters is that Othello is driven to the extent of killing the one who matters the most to him all because of false jealousy.

The suffering of the characters surrounding Othello helps lead to the overall tragic vision of the play. Throughout the play, the men's only concern is either loving Desdamona or being jealous of the other men who love Desdamona. With the help of honest Iago, this jealousy is transformed into a hatred aimed directly towards the noble Othello, so by the end of the play the audience feels sorrow towards all of the characters' tragic circumstances.