Rocks, Salt and Communists

By Colin Mock

Luo and Ma dressed like this to deceive the Miller

The Miller is an old lonely man who lives on the Thousands-Meter-Cliff. He isn’t a prominent member of the community but everyone serves their purpose and he is no different. The Miller knew many old folk songs from the mountains. This is how the Miller becomes part of Luo and Ma’s quest for books.

Four Eyes has a leather suitcase full of books which Luo and Ma both desire. Four Eyes cuts a deal with Lou in Ma where the two boys would go to the Millers house learn folk songs from him which they would then tell Four Eyes so that he could publish them in a paper and finish his re-education and in return the boys would receive a couple new books. Luo and Ma have to try and figure out how they would get the songs out of the Miller and they decide on dressing up as powerful young communists from the city who have been sent there by Mao Zedong to learn about the mountains culture. The plan is a success and the Miller sings them the songs of the mountains even though he has his doubts of whether or not it would be acceptable to do so.

The Miller is important to this event even though he isn’t the main focus of the boys task. The Miller shows us how afraid they are of the Chinese government. The only reason that he would sing the songs that had been banned was because the two boys had cleverly disguised themselves as communists from the city sent by the government. Even with these disguises the Miller was unsure about singing the songs for them but ultimately he buckled and sang them the songs because of fear of what might happen had he not sung the songs for them. The Miller is also vital because he shows how poor the mountain people really are. His delicacy that he serves for so called high ranking communists is rocks with salt on them. It was a great honor to have communists visit your house and the fact that he can only muster up rocks with salt on them for his visitors show how poor and unfortunate he really is and he isn’t the only one in the community that isn’t wealthy, his misfortune would actually be common for people of the mountains.

Pebbles like these were dipped in salt to create the Millers delicacy