Ms. Linto

Abstract

Ms. Linto is inspired by a famous Taiwan legend called Ms. Linto. This story happened in Tainan. Linto who is a widow and raises three kinds alone, was tricked out of her life saving by a smooth talking handsome man, ACSi Chou, who had promised to marry her. Later, two of her older kids either die from the cold or starve to death since no relief effort. She feels hopeless that led her to murder her youngest kid and then commit suicide by hanging. The specter of Linto takes revenge on A-Si Chou by stabbing him to death. Taiwan's history is like a long story of ceaseless foreign invasion, from early mainlanders who arrived during Chin dynasty to seek for a better life and future; later Japanese who colonial ruled in Taiwan; then mainlanders who arrived after World War II. Every time new immigrants arrived, the culture of Taiwan was impacted and imposed to change. Aboriginal uprising against earlier mainlanders were forced leaving their homeland for a mountain. After Japanese came to Taiwan, they brought in Japanese culture. At that time, traditional Japanese songs and music were popular everywhere. Some people spoke Japanese and had Japanese name, too. After World War II, mainlanders arrived, and they forced people to speak Chinese instead of Local language such as Minan dialect and Hakka dialect, and it results that so many Taiwanese don't know how to speak they mother tongue. Other stories like, Hakkas protecting their turf and the ethnic conflict between descendants of early Taiwanese immigrants and mainlanders who arrived after World War II. These conflicts contribute a variety of Taiwanese culture. I believe that similar folklore of Ms. Linto, represents a desperate cry for justice by a marginalized people in a marginalized land, it could happen everywhere, not only in Taiwan. I think that morality is the most important thing for human being. That is the main reason I choose this story. Most people motivated by jealousy and greed, and they have to cheat or hurt others, but at least do not make people they hurt lost hope for their life. If Chou A-si did not take the whole money from Ms. Linto, maybe there is no story about Ms. Linto. I rearrange the order of the story and divide it into six sections to form my structure: Introduction (m.1Cm.74), Sacrifice (m.75Cm.158), Linto and A-si (m.159Cm.197), Romance and red wedding (m.198Cm.260), Demon born (m.261Cm.282),and Vengeance arise (m.283Cm.332)