Because there is so much to say, it seems organized to compare points.
About the topic: Eros, Anti-War, Human Sin
The protagonist is a boy. On his 3rd birthday, he witnessed an affair between his mother and his uncle. He jumped down the stairs, trying to escape a world he felt betrayed, and his body never grew. Between the ages of 3 and 20, he witnesses evil, experiences evil, and finally inflicts evil. During the war, he lost his uncle and father. There were three women in his life, his grandmother, his mother, and Maria. Her grandfather disappeared in the early years, Oskar witnessed her mother being ravaged by men and turned into a reproductive tool. Feeling guilty, she chose to commit suicide. Maria was also ravaged by men, but Oskar was one of the inflicting sins, but Maria chose to give birth to a child. This child has the same fate as Oskar, a child born in a chaotic relationship. At the age of 3, the child also had a tin drum, which was like a wake-up call, reminding him of sin all the time.
Similar to movies such as "The Last Emperor", the three women are to Puyi like the three women are to Oskar, teaching Oskar to recognize the sins of human nature, and being assimilated and compromised in the torrent of the times.
On imagery: cacti, Eiffel Tower.
These are symbols of Eros. The cactus resembles the male reproductive organs, and the Eiffel Tower resembles the underdress of the female. Although Oskar's appearance remains the same, his exploration of eroticism has increased with age. Eros is the first cause of human evil.
Similar to the film "Carnival", the girl stands under the huge statue and looks up, which constitutes a strong sexual metaphor, and also implies that the characters are in a period of vigorous exploration of eroticism.
About the recurring symbols: Beethoven, tin drum, red.
Beethoven is a yearning for beauty. Despite the poor living conditions, music is the most elegant product in the world. The tin drum is a warning of sin and a resistance to the weak position of the characters. Red is a symbol of temptation.
Similar to the film "High Red Lanterns", the tin drum runs through the whole film, representing different character states in different periods of the characters. Just like how lanterns work in movies.
On the wonderful paragraph: the use of mirrors is wonderful in the paragraph where the mother refuses to eat fish. Three layers of valid information are contained within a limited frame. The mother in a red dress was pressed on the bed to be ravaged by her uncle. The mirror slowly opened to show her father eating fish in the living room, and the camera simulated Oskar's subjective line of sight, he was peeping.
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