ery different from what exists in the West, at least in the present day or even in the 1950s. The young servant girl starts out in a family headed by a strong male figure who rules the house like a king. In the second household, the musician takes much the same role and selects the servant girl as his mistress. Women in this time and place have little independence and are controlled by males. For Mui, the servant, it makes little difference which male is in charge--she is a servant either way, but she may feel it is better to be appreciated as a woman by the musician instead of a mere servant in a different household. Her place in this world is made all the more puzzling by her refusal to speak--she is intriguing to the musician for much the same reason. The world in which she begins to thrive, however, is also a world that will soon be disappearing, as can be noted near the end as we hear the distant sounds of war coming closer and closer to the house. The culture o
...