"'I was going to tell you a story about a French sailor. If the idea doesn't appeal to you, perhaps it would be better if we all had a rest now. Have a good night!'
...One or two minutes later I heard the tailor once more, 'What was your French sailor's name again?'
'He started out as Edward Dantès, but later on he became the Count of Monte Cristo," (Sijie 124).
When the tailor comes to stay with Luo and the narator, the narrator tells him this story over the course of nine nights, staying up late each night to add to the tale. The character of Dantès has a lot in common with the narrator. The narrator, like this would-be Count, lives in a shroud of secrets. He has been cast out from his original home and confined to lead a separate life. He hides his books and his greater knowledge. Like the Count, the narrator is on a long journey where he is unsure of the place he will end up. By sharing this story with the tailor, the narrator is sharing a large part of who he is.
Picture from /www.a1wdb.com
