The Ominous Red Beaked Raven

2) Why do you think the author chose to end the novel this way? (Please don't say " to make it more interesting and keep us guessing.")

"He was in a hurry and I almost felt jealous of his assignation with the doom-laden red beaked raven"(page 118). Throughout the book the image of a red beaked raven appears time after time. In Song Of Solomon the motif of a bird, or wings, is a symbol for the freedom the characters are longing for, whether it be physical or emotional. In The Little Chinese Seamstress, the characters on the mountain are each longing for freedom too.
"But before soaring into the sky they dived down alongside the girl's flying body. She had become a swallow"(page 137). Imagery is used throughout the book to portray the Little Seamstress as a bird. Her hair and arms are described as wings and the narrator describes her as flying. The red beaked raven symbolizes the Little Seamstress.
Just as each character's need for freedom is different, each character grasps something different from the western literature. The narrator enjoys Jean-Christophe because he desires individualism above all. Luo's favorite books are by Balzac because he is most passionate about love and sex. The Little Seamstress does not dwell, however, on the western illusions of love and individualism. "She said she had learnt one thing from Balzac: that a woman's beauty is a treasure beyond price" (Page184).
Once Luo begins "educating" the little Seamstress, she is destined to realise her worth and escape a life where she is used for her love and can be bought by suitors. Had the Little Seamstress not fled from her suppressive life to live out the insight she had gained through the literature and her experiences with the two boys, the "ominous" raven would have meant nothing. The end of the novel would not reflect the literature's power.