Notes on Literary Devices and Character Analysis

Figures of Speech

• Simile: A comparison using 'like' or 'as'.
  • Example: "ballooning up like a tent behind her"
  • Comparison: Jacket vs. tent
  • Example: "The white of the wall looks like a virgin canvas"
  • Comparison: Wall vs. canvas
• Metaphor: An implicit comparison without using 'like' or 'as'.
  • Example: "melt the ice in her son's eyes"
  • Comparison: Coldness in son's eyes vs. ice

Character Analysis: Tao Ying

• Role: A mother striving to be an ideal parent.
• Characteristics:
  • Careful with money, yet generous with her child's diet.
  • Struggles with the pressures of parenting and societal expectations.
  • Exhibits love and tenderness in her actions, such as how she eats watermelon in front of her son.
• Conflict: Balances her desire to be a good mother with the realities of her life as a blue-collar worker.

Themes

• Parenting: The challenges and expectations of being a mother in a modern society.
• Societal Norms: The arbitrary nature of rules and how they affect personal decisions.
• Childhood Innocence: The difference in perception between children and adults, as seen through Xiao Ye's actions and thoughts.