On a Chinese Screen · Chapter
XLII: The Sights of Town explained
The narrator describes his aversion to conventional sightseeing, preferring to wander aimlessly in foreign towns.
What happens
The narrator describes his aversion to conventional sightseeing, preferring to wander aimlessly in foreign towns. He stumbles upon a 'baby tower' outside the city wall, a site where unwanted infants are abandoned, and reflects on the philosophical interplay of good and evil. He then visits a nearby orphanage run by Spanish nuns, observing their tender care for the children and the humble, touching conditions of the institution.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Clash and Misunderstanding
The narrator contrasts Chinese infanticide with the nuns' charity, highlighting the clash between local customs and Western moral sensibilities.
Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise
The narrator philosophically notes that evil (the baby tower) enables good (the orphanage), suggesting a moral compromise in the face of suffering.
Characters to notice
- The Stranger
The narrator, who explores the baby tower and orphanage, reflecting on the sights with a mix of detachment and empathy.
Key passages
“I am not an industrious sightseer, and when guides, professional or friendly, urge me to visit a famous monument I have a stubborn inclination to send them about their business.”
The narrator admits he dislikes guided tours and famous landmarks, preferring to explore on his own.
Establishes the narrator's contrarian attitude toward conventional tourism.
“It was a baby tower. The baskets were the baskets in which the babies had been brought, two or three of them were quite new, they could not have been there more than a few hours.”
The narrator realizes the structure is a site where infants are abandoned, with fresh baskets indicating recent arrivals.
Reveals the grim reality of the baby tower, central to the chapter's reflection on life and death.
“Without want there would be no occasion for charity, without distress of sympathy, without danger of courage, and without unhappiness of resignation.”
The narrator suggests that suffering is necessary for virtues like charity and courage to exist.
Philosophical commentary linking the baby tower to the orphanage's existence.