As discussed in class, the theme that money matters was central to this story. When the main character was poor, Manshan would hardly look his way, and her mother was upset, even horrified at the fact that he was in love with her daughter. It was amazing to see how quickly things changed as he started to become more successful.
This story shows how money can distort our perspective of someone and even change how we act toward them. Though this story showed this theme in a very concrete way, there are plenty of examples of it in the world around us. There are many people I know who change how they act, what they say, and what they do, around people of different economic backgrounds.
Perhaps the most fascinating part was the main character’s reaction to all of this. At the end of they day, the life he had always wanted became too easy to get. This makes me wonder if this is where the “money doesn’t buy happiness” saying comes from. Often, there are celebrities, billionaires, etc with tons of money, but who lack adequate happiness. Perhaps the treatment these people receive from others and how others perceive them play a role in these feelings.