Essay Questions

What is the major historical event which provides the background context for the novel?

The major historical event providing context for the background against which the story plays out is China’s Cultural Revolution. After having been in power since the Communist Revolution which took place in the immediate aftermath of World War II, the despotic Chinese leader Mao Zedong initiated the Cultural Revolution smack dab in the middle of the most tumultuous decade of the 20th century: the 1960’s. The primary intent of the second Communist Revolution in China was to strip away once and for all any last remaining vestiges of capitalist influence in the socio-political environment in China. The consequences, however, would turn out to be much darker as tens of millions of citizens were either forced into slave labor, or to endure “re-education” camps devoted to hardcore communist brainwashing techniques, or were simply killed.

What short novel by pre-Soviet Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky plays a significant role in the narrative?

The plant and flower clinic that has been given the “wondrous name” of Notes from the Underground is a direct reference to Dostoevsky’s novella titled Notes from Underground. It is the first-person account of a rebellious individual who is distinctly suffering from mental health problems and may actually be insane. Dostoevsky’s tale was also a direct thematic influence on the film Taxi Driver as the antiheroes of both share much in common. The influence here is more ironic, however. Both Dostoevsky’s Underground Man and taxi driver Travis Bickle are figures relentlessly moving closer to madness as a result of disconnection and alienation from society whereas the plant and flower clinic offers the opportunity for connection as a means of avoiding the dark side of social alienation.

What is the title and significance of the book-within-a-book in the story?

The title of this tome is the Book of Records and it is described as existing within a very tall and narrow notebook resembling a miniature door. The binding is loose and comprised of nutty-colored cotton string. Naturally enough, the handwritten text enclosed within the notebook is written in Chinese characters. The narrator’s mother initially describes the contents as being something akin to a novel, but eventually it will be revealed as a secret document composed by the narrator’s father and left behind in the wake of his decision to commit suicide. The Book of Records turns out to be less a novel than a historical documentation of the family line and their various and assorted secrets. This element will take on a much larger significance when the narrator incorporates a secret code into the copies she makes which guide those in the know to location of Notes from the Underground, the flower and plant clinic servicing a secondary function as a place for making connections and avoiding the effects of alienation.