Good Earth Book Review

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Recommended: Theme of poverty from the pearl

In the critically acclaimed novel The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck depicts the trials and tribulations of Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and his family. The novel begins on the day of Wang Lung's marriage to a woman that he purchases from the great House of Hwang. He is shamed that he has to buy a wife since the richer people always have marriages arranged. His wife, O-Lan, is a very resourceful and hard working woman, making life a lot easier for Wang Lung and his father. One day, O-Lan tells Wang Lung that she is pregnant and months later delivers, to Wang Lung’s delight, a boy. Thanks to O-Lan’s presence in the house, Wang Lung is able to produce a hearty harvest and allows him to store a surplus of silver to use when necessary. Upon returning to the House of Hwang to show off his wife and newborn, Wang Lung decides to purchase more land from the now-dwindling house. Wang Lung’s status in the town grows after his wife has another boy and he has an even better harvest the next year, allowing him to store even more. Unfortunately, Wang Lung’s prosperity does not last. His lazy uncle comes to his house to ask for money for his daughter’s dowry and on the same day O-Lan gives birth to another child, this one a girl. Famine soon strikes the family due to lack of rain and with O-Lan giving birth again, the family is in ruins. The baby mysteriously dies, with bruises on her neck, and Wang Lung does not feel sadness. Wang Lung decides to move the family to a city in the south to raise money. Against his uncle’s wishes, Wang Lung does not sell his land before he leaves, determined to return to his only solace in life, his land. The family finds the conditions in the city to be terrible, living in a makeshift hut on the outskirts of a wealthy house. Wang Lung longs for his land, praying for the day that he can make enough money to return to his property. The turning point of the story occurs when the doors of the wealthy house are opened to the common people, who immediately loot the rich. Wang Lung, caught up in the frenzy, finds a cowering rich man who he threatens with his life if he does not give Wang Lung money.

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