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Situational Irony
Definition of Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's... read full definition
Stream of Consciousness
Explanation and Analysis—The Daughter vs. Madam:
"A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" often narrates Mr. Shi's thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness style, allowing readers insight into his mind. Here is one example:
Mr. Shi looks at Madam, her face brightened by her talking and laughing, and almost envies her for the energy that his daughter, forty years younger, does not possess. For the day Madame wears a bright orange blouse with prints of purple monkeys. [...] A displaced woman she is, but no doubt happily displaced. [...] A lucky man, he is, too, despite all the big and small imperfections. How extraordinary, Mr. Shi thinks, that Madam and he, from different worlds and with different languages, have this opportunity to sit and talk in the autumn sunshine.
His stream of consciousness hints at his sadness regarding his daughter's situation. After the lack of conversation with his daughter the night before, Mr. Shi laments to Madam about his daughter's divorce. He believes that his daughter is unhappy about her divorce and sees his daughter's lack of energy in contrast to Madam's vitality. The description of Madam's attire paints her as someone carefree and happy—again, the opposite of what Mr. Shi views his daughter as. Nevertheless, Madam's openness and energy is contagious. Mr. Shi reflects on the extraordinary fact that, while he and Madam are from different cultures, they are able to communicate. On the other hand, what is ironic is that though Mr. Shi views his daughter as having the same culture and world that he does, they are still unable to understand each other.
Another point of irony is that Mr. Shi's daughter is not as unhappy as he believes. Mr. Shi believes that his daughter's sense of unhappiness is due to her divorce. He believes his daughter to be a good wife and reasons that the divorce cannot be her fault. In reality, she is happy about the divorce because she was the one who wanted it. The unhappiness that she displays is in actuality towards Mr. Shi, stemming from her resentment of his lies.
Related Themes:
