The Tunnel

陈若曦

Lei Mei’s voice was soft and low and very pleasant to the ear. Master Hong’s wife had had a shrill voice and when excited she had sounded as if she were quarreling. His daughter-in-law’s voice was hoarse and always sounded as if she were short of breath. Li Mei was different. She spoke in a low voice as if whispering into his ears, and yet every word she spoke came to him like the clear notes of a bell. He could not hear enough of it and regretted that he had not heard it before. For the first time in his life, he become aware that a woman’s voice could actually be enchanting. (P 81)

In some stories we read in class, the author portrays a female character by depicting her look, as Zhang Ailing does in “Sealed Off”. In some, the author uses a figurative way to describe the female character, as Dai Wangshu does in his poem. But in “The Tunnel”, the author uses a different way. Besides the character’s look, She describes in detail Li Mei’s voice and compares it with other women’s to reveal the personality of Li Mei. A Stanford University study showed that people seem to hear some message in others’ voice, such as the speakers’ personality, mood, etc. When the author describes the voice of Master Hong’s wife, daughter-in-law, and Li Mei, what messages does she want to convey to her readers? Why is that Master Hong is enchanted by Li Mei’s voice rather than by her look? Is it a more subtle way to suggest that Li Mei is different from all other women Master Hong met in his life?