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Hangzhou Short Story

741 Words3 Pages

The story of Hangzhou by Lan Samantha Chang is about a thirty four year old woman named Chanyi who decides to take a trip with her two young daughters across the West Lake. To Hangzhou it was describe as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the capitol of China. “The city was built around a lake deep and serene, a city of holy places marked with palaces and temples.” (Pg.166) This woman takes herself and her two daughters across the lake to see a fortune teller. The reason for going to see a fortune teller is to see if Chanyi will bear a son and to find out what her daughters have in store for their future. THESIS. I will be talking about the symbols in my story that represent my thesis. The symbols I will be talking about are the pagoda, the falling petals, and the West Lake. First, I will be talking about the pagoda. The myth surrounding the pagoda is that there is a trapped spirit inside of it. “This was the punishment of a wife who tried to hold on to a wandering man. It would be the fate of any wife who resorted to tricks or magic. There was only one way to keep a man: to give birth to his son.” (Pg. 166) Similar to the pagoda, Chanyi feels that she is old and crumbling. She is not the young beautiful stunning woman she once was. She is afraid that she will never be able to bear a son. Not being able to bear a son makes her fear for her marriage. She is afraid that her husband is going to leave her for another woman who is able to give him the

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