Young Blood

Young Blood

Little Seamstress’ Cloth and Leaves

Quote: “As he slowly unfolded the cloth, I saw that it was torn from a shirt that had undoubtedly belonged to the Little Seamstress… inside were some dry leaves… all of them were stained black with blood… ‘We made love there, against the trunk. Standing. She was a virgin, and her blood dripped onto the leaves scattered underneath’” (59-60).

This quote is dialogue from Luo after coming home at 3am in the morning and waking the narrator. He was with the Little Chinese Seamstress and showed the narrator a small piece of cloth from the Seamstress’ shirt that had a few dried leaves in it, stained with blood. The Little Seamstress and Luo had made love and Luo had taken her virginity that night. This demonstrates coming of age because they have made love and they, especially the Little Seamstress, have lost their innocence. Luo also kept the leaves stained in her blood and a part of her shirt, this moment being an important one to him that he will want to keep. Both of the kids grew up a little bit that night and lost a bit of their innocence. Afterwards, they laughed and giggled, demonstrating that perhaps they were not prepared for this new stepping stone into adulthood. This excerpt represents rushed coming of age and the loss of innocence that comes with making love for the first time. 


Buffalo Blood

Quote: “He caressed the edge with the tips of his fingers and then sliced the pudding of thick blood in two: half for Four Eyes, half for himself” (94). 

The buffalo being thrown over the mountain symbolizes the attempted murder of Four Eyes’ innocence and how he is trying to force himself to be the adult that he thinks will be as a result of his salvation from the reeducation. With the thought that only adulthood will make him the three in a thousand, he is blinded by the pursuit of being a man that he longer wants to acknowledge his inner child and innocence. The buffalo resembles the innocence which is being thrown down the mountain side of adulthood. The mountain side tries to beat the innocence out with its rough terrain and rocks which are created by the turmoil and tribulations of an adults life. The deep and rocky valley symbolizes the predominance of troubles and scarring events that are in a person’s life which can leave permanent wounds and in some cases, cause one to ‘grow up’. Just like the buffalo, Four Eyes’ innocence is being attacked by the rocks and boulders, but is still alive. This shows how his childhood is hanging on to life and it is not gone yet despite the desperate attempt to kill it off. Similar to the caged lion. Luo is slowly trying to kill off his innocence but it will not die off without being heard. It is roaring and trying to make its last stand. This is also shown through his inability to eat the whole blood and how he became sick.