In the book The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, the fall of the House of Hwang and the rise of the Wang family was shown. The story completed a “circle of life”, with Wang being the center of the circle. While Wang at first was intimidated, he also looked down on the House of Hwang, he soon found that when his family became rich, his house fell onto some of the same “curses”. In both houses, a lack of love for the land was highly noticeable (except for Wang Lung), opium was used, slaves were bought
In the critically acclaimed novel The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck depicts a humble farmer and his obedient wife O-lan. The Nobel Prize winning classic, set in late eighteenth century China, begins with Wang Lung going to the "Great House of Hwang"(49) to collect the wife that was betrothed to him by his father. Wang Lung lived with his father, wife, and five children, one of whom is mentally retarded. Although Wang Lung supplied all the physical needs for his family and upheld all the family traditions
The Good Earth I was in a complete daze after reading Pearl S. Buck’s remarkable novel, The Good Earth. It was somewhat hard not to stop what I was doing afterwards and try to put myself in the characters’ shoes and visualize everything that happened in the book. I was so taken by the plot that I remember not wanting to put down the book till I knew what happened next in one of the conflicts in the story. Considering my reaction to it when I first got the book and my reaction to it now, you would
The novel The Good Earth is a story of a man living in Chinese society around the time of the Chinese Revolution. Though the story is a work of fiction, some of the events in the story were actual events that the author, Pearl S. Buck, witnessed or experienced during her life while in China. The area of China that the story takes place in is based after the town Nanhsuchou where Buck lived for a period in her life. The main character in the story is Wang Lung, a hard working, but poor, farmer. At
The Good Earth Style Pearl Buck's style in The Good Earth has been compared to old Chinese novels. Actually, it is a simple, direct narrative style. There are no complicated techniques such as cut-back or stream of consciousness. The narrative moves along smoothly towards its conclusion. By the same token there are no complicated subplots or subthemes. Wang Lung is the central character; the actions of all the other characters relate directly to him. No one in the story performs any action
In The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, the symbol of land is so dominant that it permeates and ties together the entire story. O-lan acts as a representation of the land. The novel goes beyond her superficial features which resemble that of the earth. O-lan is described as having a brown hue, a simple, intent disposition, and an abounding inner life. O-lan’s practicality, perseverance, and fertility all embody the giving facets of the land. Just like O-lan, the earth is constantly supporting life and
Themes of The Good Earth The theme of this novel is not a complicated one. The author is trying to show how a family can rise from poverty to a position of wealth. However, the rise in itself is not the crucial element; the background against which this rise takes place is more important. Wang Lung lives in an era of change. China has been a backward country in many respects. Her principal fault, however, was the existence of two distinct classes of people - the rich and the poor. The
In her award winning novel, The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck uses O-lan and Wang Lung to create a metaphor about love and affection. She uses the theme of the care and love going a one way road throughout the book by making Olan an ugly character with a desire for love. When Olan died, she passed on all of her values, such as blind loyalty, being a hard worker, and caring love, to Wang Lung. The first of Olan’s morals is her blind loyalty. She has never disobeyed the wishes of her husband. For
Throughout the book The Good Earth written by Pearl S. Buck, it shows the evolvement of the main character Wang Lung and how owning or not owning land in the 1920s is affected by peasants in China. It also shows the struggles of a peasant’s life, going through poverty and what happens when wealth enters their lives. Owning land as a peasant is an important aspect of their living style, simply because they live off of what they are able to grow that season. They depend on their land for resources
Good Earth Olan Throughout The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, O-lan showed herself as a very humble woman. O-lan was a slave in the House of Hwang before her marriage was arranged by the Old Mistress of the House of Hwang. O-lan was faithful throughout the book to Wang Lung through harvest, famine, and even when Wang Lung brought home another woman. O-lan was a hard worker and worked even when no one told her to. She had wisdom that only a slave and a hardworking woman could acquire. Pearl S. Buck
The Good Earth Essay Owning land in China during the 1920’s was the symbol of someone’s wealth. Most of the Chinese peasants during this time were poor tenant farmers who worked for rich land owners. However, there were also some independent farmers who grew their own food for their families. The main character in the book, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, was an independent farmer. His name was Wang Lung and he was a hard working farmer who made his living off his land. Wang was a very old fashioned
Wealth is a powerful thing; so powerful that it can instantly and completely change the mindset of someone. In the book, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, Wang Lung is a poor and humble man who becomes what he never thought he would become, a rich man. As money became less of a priority, so did everything else that mattered to him before. Growing up a farmer, land is always something that is important to Wang Lung. Upon realizing that he is now capable of buying all the land he needs, Wang Lung decides
said that Pearl S. Buck’s novel, The Good Earth, was a “comment upon the meaning and tragedy of life as it is lived in any age in any quarter of the globe”. The Good Earth, which is about a poor Chinese farmer named Wang Lung, his family, and their journey from being in poverty to being one of the wealthiest families in the city, truly illustrates the meaning of life and what makes it so special. Throughout the story, the Wang family receives an equal amount of good luck as bad luck, and have an abundance
Objects and Places in The Good Earth Earth/ Land/ Field: Wang Lung's love for the earth is a chief driving force in his life. The only thing he loves with any constancy is the earth, and this is because the earth is constant as well. Unlike food or silver, the earth is something that can never be taken away from him. Wang Lung always keeps returning to his land, and yearns for it whenever he is away. It serves as a healing element for him whenever he has domestic troubles, and is the foundation
In Pearl S. Buck’s novel, The Good Earth, a humble Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, starts out as a poor man; nevertheless, he overcomes many struggles in order to become a rich and prosperous man. Although, Wang Lung is the main character of the novel there is an equal importance in the women presented. The novel focuses on the major roles of women in China. In the traditional Chinese society, women were oppressed and disrespected. The roles of women were arranged on the home, where they were expected
in The Good Earth The Good Earth is a novel written by Pearl S. Buck. It is set in China and on the day of Wang Lung's marriage. Wang Lung is a poor peasant farmer whose love for the land sustains him through the difficult times of his life. He married a slave from the great house, and he moves from a poor, humble, country farmer to a wealthy, respected, landowning patriarch. He moves into the house that he bought his wife from, and dies content with his faith in the good earth. The name
Wang also has a goal set to become wealthy. Throughout the novel Wang’s desire for the girl lotus and becoming wealthy. Also, Wang is the protagonist of The Good Earth, he begins his life as an impoverished farmer and marris O-lan who is a slave owned by the Hwang. He is increasingly drawn to the Hwang lifestyle of how wealthy they are. Sometimes he is brave and pragmatic generally caring and gentle. His one
Portrayal of Women in The Good Earth The Good Earth focuses around the life of a Chinese peasant, Wang Lung, who struggles to overcome a poverty-stricken life. The accounts of Wang Lung's life portray traditional China. One prominent aspect of this story is how women were depicted in society. The role of women in China is woven throughout the novel. Depending on their social status, each female character within the novel gives readers a different perspective of a woman's role during this
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck I. Description. The book I am reading is called "The Good Earth". It is written by the wonderful author Pearl S. Buck. The book is three hundred and fifty seven pages long. The book is about Wang Lung who is a young and poor farmer who is living in China during the time signs of modernization are appearing but the Chinese culture is remaining deeply connected to ancient traditions and customs. When Wang Lung approaches age to be married his father. He approaches
The following in a report on the themes and action of The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck as it relates to food and culture. This novel tells the story of Wang Lung. He is a man who rises from being a poor farmer to a very wealthy man because of his faith in the good earth. In the beginning of the story Wang Lung tries to see as little water as possible because he feels safest with his land under his feet. His family is very poor so he must feed his father corn gruel and tea. Wang Lung needs a wife