Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

The red-beaked raven is a recurring motif associated with the looming end of the relationship between Luo and the Little Seamstress. The bird is an ominous portent that foreshadows their separation. The bird observes Luo and the Narrator’s dangerous passage over the narrow ridge leading to the Little Seamstress’s village. The Narrator likens the pass to “purgatory,” and has nightmares about the Little Seamstress falling to her death there; the presence of a carrion bird emphasizes the nearness of loss and suffering and the ultimate futility of their attempts to reach her.

A flock of the same birds takes flight around the Little Seamstress as she dives into the pool under the Old Miller’s gaze. The birds represent her liberation and flight from the mountain, especially given that she is moved to dive by exposure to the same books that later empower her to leave. However, the birds’ “foul” smell and aggressive behavior toward the Old Miller symbolize the negative emotions associated with her leaving from the perspective of Luo and the Narrator.