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Question
Pick out instances from the story to show that official rules are often arbitrary.
Solution
Rules being arbitrary are shown by how the Tao Ying gets a ticket for Xiao Ye, even though he doesn’t require one, and how the old woman’s scales were inaccurate on purpose to make people feel better about themselves, showing how self-esteem and standards of beauty often matter more than simple rules.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
What made Tao Ying decide whether to buy a ticket or not when she rode a bus alone?
Why did she insist on buying tickets both for herself and her son that day?
Did Tao Ying really intend to cheat at the temple?
Why did Tao Ying change her intention to buy another ticket?
Were the old lady’s scales a reliable measure of height and weight? What convoluted logic were her measurements based on?
What was the conflict between the mother and son?
How did Tao Ying’s son influence the way she led her life?
Tao Ying was very careful about spending money. What were her reasons for refusing the compensation offered by the temple officials?
Why was her final vindication important to Tao Ying?
Discuss the following in pairs or in small groups
The way a child looks at the world is very different from that of an adult.
Discuss the following in pairs or in small groups
There is always a gap between what we really are and what we wish to appear to be to others.
Comment on the significance of the first sentence of the story to its theme.
Would you describe the author’s portrayal of Tao Ying’s character in the story as sympathetic, critical, or realistic?
Identify the episodes that bring out the ambivalent attitude to ethics commonly seen in human life?
How effectively does the narrative technique adopted in this story illustrate ‘unity of thought’?
