The Invisible Red String: “Ah!” said the young man as he emerged from behind his writing desk. “You can read the words of poets and scholars. That was one of my requirements, and I see that you walk gracefully and freely, too, without the unnatural mincing gait of someone with bound feet. Not only that, you are lovely! How is it that my mother has found you and yet she still complains about my impossible expectations?” “You are mistaken, Master Yuen,” interrupted Ju-Lin. “I am only the matchmaker’s assistant.” “Never mind who you are. You can be anything you want to be, but you are the one.” “But you don’t understand. I was sent by the moi-yun to tell you in person to look closely at those around you. She said that the one you seek may be right before your eyes and that you must know when to follow your heart.” Suddenly, becoming aware of the meaning of the words herself, Ju-Lin flushed in warm embarrassment as his face lit up. “You are very close, and if I follow my heart now, it says that I have just found the one person I would be honored to share my life with for the rest of my days … if you will have me.” “Y-y-yes, I will!” said Ju-Lin, gasping in surprise at her own words.
message in a bottle: MAX: I really liked Message in a Bottle! I thought it was exciting and suspenseful. When the story shifted its focus away from the shipwreck, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. ELLE: I felt the same way. It was clever of the author to use parallel structure at that point in the story to increase suspense. But let’s focus on the story’s theme. Which universal theme do you think applies to it? MAX: What are my choices? ELLE: Universal themes include the hero’s journey, the battle of good versus evil, coming-of-age or loss of innocence, and renewal/rebirth. MAX: The story is a coming-of-age story. Christy and Blackie are both young teens who head out into the world on their own. The story tells how they grow and mature. So, that is loss of innocence. What do you think? ELLE: Well, I disagree. MAX: But . . . ! ELLE: Wait! Let me finish. The story is a hero’s journey. Christy and Blackie are on a quest for a better life in a new land. They face obstacles on the way, including a monstrous storm just as they are within sight of land. At first, I thought that the universal theme of the battle of good versus evil fits the story because that storm seems evil. But, then I realized that the theme might be renewal and rebirth. We think that Christy and Blackie die in the shipwreck, but we later find out that they are alive! MAX: That’s an interesting interpretation. Here’s another question for you. Do you think the story updated the universal theme? I mean, the story is modern because of its use of parallel structure. The shift of the focus onto other characters isn’t traditional at all. But what about the theme? ELLE: Yes, the story doesn’t have a traditional structure, although the character types and story pattern are like other quest stories. I think the theme has been updated because the characters don’t literally die—we just think they do. It’s a clever choice by the author.
Write a paragraph in which you summarize The Invisible Red String and Message in a Bottle and compare and contrast their structures.