Beauty - in its physical incarnations - is one of the most important overarching themes of Dai Sijie's novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Dai creates a sense of beauty in the novel by highlighting the beauty of the characters, location, and natural landscape. Exploring beauty in a truly multifaceted way, he is exceptional in his use of literary techniques such as attention to detail, juxtaposition, connotation and metaphor, techniques which together indicate the human desire for beauty. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essay First, Dai creates a sense of beauty through his depiction of specific characters; The most obvious embodiment of this approach is the seamstress. In the third chapter of the novel, when Luo and Ma arrive at the tailor's shop and are first introduced to the seamstress, she is described with extraordinary attention to detail. Instead of talking about her appearance as a whole, Dai chooses to write about specific qualities such as "the sparkle in her eyes", the "sturdy and supple" appearance of her shoes, and the way her pigtail falls from the “nape”. from his neck to the small of his back.” The smallness of these details, combined with the vulnerability suggested by the connotation of words such as "supple" and "nape", illuminates the image of the Seamstress in an incredibly intimate way. The feeling of emotional closeness – almost tenderness – that results is what truly makes her seem beautiful. The beauty of the seamstress is also emphasized by the use of connotations in the passage. Throughout the passage, Dai describes her as “delicate,” “sophisticated,” and “fine.” These words, which suggest grace and delicacy, create an image of distinguished beauty. Dai also uses juxtaposing word pairs such as "cheap" and "sophisticated", and "barefoot" and "soft", which also contribute to this impression by showing the contrast between the feminine refinement of the seamstress and the uncouth crudeness. attractive to its environment. Dai's characters do not only possess beauty in terms of appearance. The Little Seamstress is one of the most coveted women in the valley, her absence causing “great distress to all the young bachelors”. His father, the tailor, another major character in the novel, is also shown to have extremely high status, with "scenes of great excitement" following him wherever he goes. The couple are also referred to as "like a king" and "the princess of Phoenix Mountain" respectively, suggesting that they were exalted to royalty. The fact that both men are successful and celebrated almost to the point of deification adds to their appeal by making readers see them as people of incredible value. It is also worth noting that the success of the tailor is mainly due to the fact that the new clothes are "in high demand". The villagers' desperate need for new clothes, as well as the painstaking means by which they acquire them (going "all the way to Ying Jing" to buy fabric, then attending arduous meetings with the tailor) suggest that the tailor is a metaphor . for the desire for beauty. Dai not only depicts the beauty of his characters, but also that of the natural landscape. In the last paragraph of the extract, he recounts the boys' climb up a "steep and slippery path shrouded in a milky fog." The choice of word in this passage is very interesting: “shrouded” suggests the ethereal, but also alludes to death; “milky” creates mystery, but also emphasizes.