The first few times we see the bowl was when Di kept eyeing it to see if Mr. Luo will pick her bowl. Di and Mr. Luo are the two main characters. They are the parents to the boy we see in the beginning. This film starts with their son going back to the village where he was born because his father, Mr. Luo has passed away. There he reflects back on his parents' love story. Going back to the bowl, girls cooked for the men who was building the school. Mr. Luo is from the city and he is the new school teacher. So every day Di use the same bowl and watches to see if Mr. Luo will pick her bowl because she put all heart into cooking that dish just for him. When he was leaving back to the city, she packed his favorite, mushroom dumplings. While chasing him because he didn't have time to stop by her house to eat them, the bowl broke. She was devastated and left in tears. Just like how the bowl broke, her heart also broke with it. Though the bowl broke she still brought it back home because the bowl was what held her pride and joy, the food she cooked for him with all her heart. She wouldn't even let her mom help her cook. Though her mom didn't like the idea of her cooking and falling in love with this boy from the city. She still took the time to have someone repair the bowl for Di. The man repairing the bowl even told her that to repair it would cost more than buying a new one but Di's mom didn't care. Like she said the bowl was important because the man that used that bowl left and took Di's heart with him. That was the sweetest thing ever because we know how she feels about Di falling in love with Mr. Luo but still, she got the bowl fixed just for her daughter. Below is the picture of the repaired bowl.
To think about it, Di has such a strong heart to wait for him to come back, not knowing if he will even come back. Many will call her crazy and even dumb for waiting for him but to me, this is true love. True love is crazy yet worth the wait. What about you, are you willing to wait for someone like how Di waited for Mr. Luo?
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the symbolism behind the bowl. The bowl really represented Di's feelings in the film. I liked how you touched upon the mother's opinions about the teacher. Even though she was apprehensive at first about the teacher, she showed that she came around when she got the bowl fixed. The bowl symbolizes generations of love!
ReplyDeleteAwesome job!
-Lauren Checker
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the symbolism behind the bowl. The bowl really represented Di's feelings in the film. I liked how you touched upon the mother's opinions about the teacher. Even though she was apprehensive at first about the teacher, she showed that she came around when she got the bowl fixed. The bowl symbolizes generations of love!
ReplyDeleteAwesome job!
-Lauren Checker
I really enjoyed your blog post and your explanation of the symbolism the bowl carried. I also was intrigued by the bowl while watching the film, and the representation it had of Di's and Mr. Luo's love for one another. I like how you explained all the events that were centered around the bowl, because there was many.
ReplyDelete-Noor Kheirieh
I like the way you brought in how the bowl showed not only Di's love for the teacher, but Di's grandmother's love for her. The bowl became a strong symbol of love in Di's life, not just romantic, but maternal.
ReplyDelete-April Moraza
Awesome post! The bowl is such an important symbol in this movie and you discussed it thoroughly. I agree the bowl represents her heart. I personally love when her grandmother gets the bowl repaired, she picks up the pieces of Di's heart and gives her the strength to continue on in the journey of love. I agree that this is true love, Di was right to wait around!
ReplyDelete-Christina Sieb
You made a good point when you said that usually the past is in black and white and the present is in color but in this movie it is switched; I didnt really think about that. I also like that you chose to focus on the bowl because it was a really significant symbol in the film.
ReplyDeleteAmy Wittlieff
I too made the connection between the bowl breaking and her heart breaking when Mr. Luo had to leave the village. I liked that you talked about the bowl because to someone watching it for the first time it may not seem as important as it actually is in the film; it plays a huge role of symbolism.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Roloff
I also thought it was an interesting choice for the director to put the present in black and white. To be honest it was a little distracting at first since it goes against the norm. However, I am glad that most of the movie was in color. With the film in color I was able to appreciate the beauty of China and the village they lived in. The bright blue sky, the high mountains, and the tall trees in the forest came to life with a vibrancy that matched Di's spirit.
ReplyDeleteKatie Eigner
The bowl really stood out to me too in this film. I loved the use of it visually and how her mother got it repaired even though she was skeptical of their love. It shows how she will always be there to help her daughter heal and support her even if she is unsure of what is to come. I agree that her willingness to wait just shows how string she is and how true her love was for him.
ReplyDeleteCasey Scheibengraber
I also thought the bowl played a big role in this film! It had a huge connection to the love story of Di and Lou. When Di was filled with hope for meeting Luo, her bowl was filled with food. When Di's heart was breaking, the bowl was broke. When Di's heart mended and the teacher returned, the bowl was fixed. It was amazing how such a simple object could represent so much! To answer your question-I think that if I had found the simple, no hesitation, love at first sight that Di did, I too would have waited.
ReplyDeleteHaley
Heartily agree. The bowl is arguably the most important symbol of Di's and Luo's love for each other, and the hope it instills in moviegoers is heartwarming to say the least. Is the bowl unbreakable? Of course not, because neither is love. But like Casey said, the effort Di's mother took in repairing the bowl illustrates what love actually is: a constant choice.
ReplyDelete- Jackie
I never thought of the meaning of the bowl that way. I can't totally see how that bowl is a representation of her and how she feels. Every meal that is cook for Luo is put in that bowl, kinda like she is putting all of her heart into her pursuit of Luo.
ReplyDelete-Lauren Cepulis
Hi Kia I love that you used the bowl as your main symbol. I did as well!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job setting up context on your blog post for people who are not familiar with the film. I also liked your insightful question at the end. I have always believed when you find the one, you just know. If love was real on both ends then what is time? what is distance? I would wait.
-Melanie Amini-Hajibashi