The Good Earth Essay, Research Paper
The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, is a tale of a farmer who rises from a commoner to a wealthy land owner. The setting is pre-Revolutionary China, sometime in the 20th century. The story is one of a farmer who becomes a wealthy man through hard work while facing droughts and floods. He becomes very rich, but forgets his true love, the earth, which got him to where he was. The mood of the story is serious. Droughts and floods affect the outcome of crops, which in turn, affect the people who need them to survive. As the story progresses, the mood changes to become more light hearted and careless. It is typical of today’s society of how the main character becomes rich and then forgets what it was like to be on the other side. He spends money carelessly and neglects to remember how his life was just a few months before. The main element of the story is definitely character. We look through the eyes of the main character and see how he, as a person, grows and matures.There are many characters in the story. The first is Wang Lung, a farmer and the main character of the story. The author tells the story through his view of life. We see Wang Lung at the beginning of the story as a young man, full of energy and love for his land. He has been raised on the land he now farms and takes great pride in maintaining it. Later in the story, he becomes a rich man, and forgets his land, “One’s flesh and blood.” As he finds out that money is not everything and cannot by happiness, he realizes his fault and returns to the earth.
O-lan is Wang Lung’s wife in the story. She was a slave girl raised in the great House of Hwang. Wang Lung buys her from the house, but he sees that “there is no beauty of any kind in her face.” But Wang Lung cannot afford a beautiful wife, for he is only a farmer. O-lan is a strong, but quite character. She bears hardships as they come and gives Wang Lung four children. Wang Lung seems to care for her, but she in return shows very little emotion. She is a hard character to reach and only before she dies, do we see the real side of O-lan.
The next main character is Lotus, a prostitute living at the tea shop in town. During the story, Wang Lung becomes ashamed of his plain wife. He ventures into the tea shop in town and pays for a prostitute, Lotus. She excites him and “kept him fevered and thirsty, even if she gave him his will of her.” Wang Lung falls in love with this woman and buys her to live in his house. She is a woman of delicacy and elegance, the complete opposite of O-lan, who she comes to dislike. The two live in opposite parts of the house, which keeps them happy. Lotus is another character who is blocked out from the reader. We only know that she is a material person, asking for jewels and expensive clothes and food from Wang Lung.
There are many other characters who play fairly large, but not main parts in the story. Wang Lung has four children, three boys and a girl. The two oldest boys become rivals later in the story and offer Wang Lung “no peace” in his old age. The girl, who he affectionately calls “the fool,” does not speak, but with her empty smile and sweet gaze fills Wang Lung with intense love and sadness. Wang Lung also lives with his father, who in his old age, sits in the sun most of the day only calling out to be fed.
The story begins on Wang Lung’s wedding day. He heads to the House of Hwang where he buys his wife, O-lan, from the Old Mistress there. He finds his wife plain, but a good worker and a strong-willed person. She works beside him on his land, harvesting the grain to sell. It is not long before she bears his first child, a son. But after birth, she returns to the fields to finish with the day’s work. This shocked me and gave me an idea of how strong a person she really was.
Year after year, O-lan and Wang Lung worked the fields, saving the extra money for whenever they needed it. O-lan bore three more kids, two sons and a daughter. Life seemed to be good for the simple farmer, but not for long. A four year drought hit that halted the planting and harvesting of crops. The local town suffered tremendously and there was not “a bean or a handful of corn to be had.” This drought affected everyone. Even the rich felt the wrath, for there was no food to buy, at any price. The drought caused Wang Lung and his family to head south. They ended up in a southern town where, with the little money they had left, brought rugs to make a small house. Here they begged for money to live on and Wang Lung went to work pulling a ricksha through the town, only making enough money to eat for that day. Wang Lung knew in his heart that he “must get back to his land.”
At this time in China, there were many civil wars going on. Chinese soldiers walked through the town and raided the houses of the rich. People robbed the houses breaking in and initiating riots throughout the city. In the confusion, Wang Lung stole jewels and silver from a wealthy house in the city. With his newly found wealth, Wang Lung and his family headed back to their land. With the money they left over, they bought mats to repair their house, an ox, and seeds “the likes of which he had never planted before.”
The family had many prosperous years, the children growing strong and the harvests yielding much money for Wang Lung and his family. Wang Lung had now conceived the idea that he was no longer a poor man. He hired men to work with him on his land, ate the best foods, and even sent his two oldest boys to school, for he could not read the contracts for seeds and land himself. Wang Lung used his great wealth to buy land from the once mighty House of Hwang. The Old Mistress was willing to give the land at a very cheap price, for the years of drought had weakened the people of the land. The money poured like silver and Wang Lung never lived with money problems again. But he was not happy. He found no beauty in O-lan and he was “longing for a young and beautiful woman.”
Wang Lung found this woman at a tea shop in the city. Her name was Lotus. She was a prostitute, but a lovely girl, nonetheless. Wang Lung found her exciting and she left him never completely satisfied. With Wang Lung’s riches, he bought this young girl and moved her into an inner court that he built on his house just for her. This stunned me at first. In today’s society, you never see two women living with one man, one for pleasure and one for work. But I realize that this might have been a usual action in Chinese culture. I did, however, find comic relief in this part of the book. Wang Lung’s father, who says few words throughout the entire novel, begins to yell, “There is a harlot in the house!” I found this quite funny because the father realizes this one thing and yells it every time he sees Lotus.
Wang Lung lived happy again and aged as the years passed. The two women never talked to each other and this both please and hurt Wang Lung. He hired men to work for him and rented out his land, which brought in more and more money. Suddenly, O-lan became ill with intestinal problems. She could only lie upon her bed and call out for food and tea. Wang Lung felt guilty, as he had bought another woman and overlooked his wife who bore him children. As her last request before she died, her eldest son, who was now 17, was to be wed. Wang Lung invited everyone and the bride was chosen from a family of good fortune and wealth. The eldest son was married and O-lan died the same night, with Wang Lung beside her. This was the saddest part in the book. O-lan’s true character was only revealed before she died and I became interested to finally see what kind of person she was.
Wang Lung aged many years as his sons all wed and his daughter was given away. His land was rented out and the money never stopped flowing into his house. Wang Lung finally found peace and sat in the sun, careless, as his father did many years before. In the final scene, Wang Lung is talking to his two older sons, who are in there late 20’s now. He tells his sons that “if you sell the land, it is the end.” Wang Lung’s tired eyes closed did not see the greedy smiles his sons gave each other. This scene left me with the idea that his sons might sell the land, which would go against their father’s wishes. But the author ties the story off with this scene very well.
I believe the major theme of the book is man’s survival and triumph over the land and nature. Wang Lung experiences floods and droughts but still manages to overcome these obstacles to become wealthy and lead a prosperous life. This book was an interesting story that opened my eyes to the culture of the Chinese. I enjoyed the way the story ended and would not change it. I enjoy reading books because they let your mind take control, but I always don’t have the time to read. I would recommend this classic to anyone who is interested I the Chinese culture or wants to read a book that is just simply well written.
Другие работы по теме:
The Good Earth Wang Lung As A
Rolemodel Essay, Research Paper The Good Earth: Wang Lung as a Role Model This is my definition of a role model: someone who does something that is admirable. One would be considered ignorant to think that a role model is perfect. In Pearl S. Buck?s The Good Earth, Wang Lung is set up to be a role model for his children.
Venus Aphrodite Essay Research Paper In the
Venus (Aphrodite) Essay, Research Paper In the begining, there was Chaos. From Chaos and Mother Earth came the first race of Greek deities, the Titans. These first gods were ruled by Saturn, who had received the prophesy that his son will over throw him. Well, he ate all his children save one, the one his wife, Mother Earth (Gaia) placed on an island.
Poseidon Essay Research Paper The greatest god
Poseidon Essay, Research Paper The greatest god ever? This is a very good question but an obvious one to. Of course its Poseidon ?me? which I tell everyone. My name is Poseidon god of the seas and creator of the trident and the horse. I?m the borther of Zeus, Ares, Hera, Demeter, Hestia and son of Cronos and Rheia.
The Comparison Of The Good Earth And
Nectar In A Sieve Essay, Research Paper The Good Earth and Nectar in a Sieve Comparisons The Good Earth and Nectar in a Sieve were two very different novels. One was about a family in India under
God Existence Essay Research Paper I do
God Existence Essay, Research Paper I do not believe God exists. I have many reasons why I think that there is no God. One of my many reasons is that there is no way that one man could have
The Good Earth Essay Research Paper Good
The Good Earth Essay, Research Paper Good evening, we the graduating class of blessed sacrament school would like to welcome you to our 8th grade graduation. On behalf of the graduating class I especially would like to welcome Fr. McCarthy and Fr. Hand, Dr. Rouke, Teachers, Parents, relatives, and friends to our graduating ceremony.
Ovid Essay Research Paper OVID
Ovid Essay, Research Paper OVID ‘n KAFKA:METAMORPH Nature controls people’s emotions and causes tragic disruptions in nature. Money and emotions control each individual. Besides the fact all the great pleasures of life money, nature and emotions can bring in people, they can also expose callowness greed and extirpate all common good on the face of the earth.
The Good EarthWang Lung Essay Research Paper
Rough Draft: The Good Earth The Good Farmer A simple, hardworking Chinese farmer is all he is. But there is more to this simple farmer, he is not just a common character in this book, but a universal figure, an example of people that have tilled the earth throughout the ages. Wang Lung in Pearl Buck?s The Good Earth is a Chinese farmer and a loving father who is grateful of the things he has.
Qualies Of The Character Wang Lung In
The Good Earth Essay, Research Paper Have you ever wondered “who is the farmer they call Wang Lung?” Wang Lung is a poor farmer who begins with one piece of land that he farms each day. As he grow as a character in the novel he goes from poor to rich. In the novel The Good Earth the main character Wang Lung shows several qualities that helps him grow as a character.
Poem Angel Essay Research Paper Once upon
Poem: Angel Essay, Research Paper Once upon a time, there was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God, “They tell me you’re sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”
Good Citizen Essay Research Paper The good
Good Citizen Essay, Research Paper The good man and the good citizen are not one and the same. What can be said about one cannot be necessarily said about the other. It is essential for the
Writing Styles Of Good Earth Compared To
Chinese Sagas Essay, Research Paper Every author has his or her own style of writing. The way authors use words to create ideas give them different styles. One interesting writing style is that of Pearl S Buck, the author of The Good Earth. Peter Doyle criticizes Buck’s writing style as “almost biblical”. Pearl Buck’s writing is also compared to Chinese sagas.
Ptolemy Sucks Ass Essay Research Paper 1
Ptolemy Sucks Ass Essay, Research Paper 1. Ptolemy established his own latitude and longitude places in the Roman Empire. Since he was wrong by about 30 % he estimated the earth to be one
Comparing Creation Accounts Essay Research Paper The
Comparing Creation Accounts Essay, Research Paper The creation of the earth and all that is within the earth is mysterious yet miraculous at the same time. Although there are probably hundreds of different accounts, they all seem to be different while almost identical in text. I will be comparing and contrasting between account one and account two in the book of Genesis.
Beowulf 2 Essay Research Paper Good and
Beowulf 2 Essay, Research Paper Good and evil has existed throughout time. Heroes have defended the righteous, as villains were bent on destruction. This story represents these qualities in both main characters. The struggle began when God allowed Satan dominion over the earth. Since then the battle between them has been recorded throughout literary history.
Fake Myth Essay Research Paper Many centuries
Fake Myth Essay, Research Paper Many centuries ago, before you, before me. Before water existed. There was a god, who roamed the earth in search of something, anything. He roamed the barren landscapes and searched under all rocks. Until one day he found something. It was a hole, a hole that seemed bottomless.
Myth Essay Essay Research Paper A great
Myth Essay Essay, Research Paper A great phenomenon that all humans have questioned at one time in their life is “Why does it rain?” These phenomena would cause humans to create a myth about why it rains. The myth starts off by understanding that tribes are God’s plants within his garden. The ground where the plants root system lies is within the earth.
Earth Rotation Essay Research Paper The Earth
Earth Rotation Essay, Research Paper The Earth is rotating around an axis (called its rotational axis). Some objects rotate about a horizontal axis, like a rolling log. Some objects, such as a
Time Travel Essay Research Paper The Twins
Time Travel Essay, Research Paper The Twins Paradox uses Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity to explain that time travel is possible. Let’s say two twins are on Earth. They are both twenty years old. One leaves in a spaceship. She is gone for sixty years. When she returns the twin that remained on Earth is eighty years old, she on the other hand appears to be about thirty.
Miller Spring Essay Essay Research Paper Miller
Miller Spring Essay Essay, Research Paper Miller Springs Essay My science class and I went to Miller Springs to learn about sediments and nature a few days ago. The good and bad sides of the trip I will explain below.
The Earth Essay Research Paper THE EARTH
The Earth Essay, Research Paper THE EARTH The Earth’s Place In Space: Despite its own special conditions,the Earth is in some ways similar to the other inner planets the group of planets
Saving Mother Earth Essay Research Paper The
Saving Mother Earth Essay, Research Paper The way we think about nature affects both our individual and social decisions. Various things may be affected, from the kind of food that we eat, to the products we buy, and locations we may attend. Different people have different feelings and ideas towards things.
What Is It Mean To Be A
Human Essay, Research Paper The Old Testament begins with creation of earth and lives on earth. After that we read about creation of different creatures and creation of a man. God made man and female in his image and put him above all other creatures. God creates man from dust and put him in the Garden of Eden. He also creates woman from man’s rib.
The Good Earth Essay Essay Research Paper
Good Earth Essay The Good Earth is a book about a Chinese man named Wang Lung and his relationship with the earth. Wang Lungs view of the earth contrasts with most people’s view of the earth today. He lived in simplicity and then when he became rich, his greatest comfort came from that that was still simple. Today many people are “rich” and are living lives where they are only comforted by the very complicated things.
Good Earth Essay Essay Research Paper The
Good Earth Essay Essay, Research Paper The Good Earth Essay The Good Earth by Pearl Buck provides an excellent form of archetypal structure. It shows how nature is clean and pure, while the mechanistic world is corrupt and evil. There are many ways that it can be proven, yet only three are really stressed throughout the novel.
Aurora Borealis Essay Research Paper Near the
Aurora Borealis Essay, Research Paper Near the Earth’s poles a magnificent spectacle of shimmering colored light can sometimes be seen — the aurora. The aurora is called the aurora borealis (Northern lights) and the aurora austrails (Southern lights); it can appear as bright as a full moon. The aurora usually appears near the Earth’s poles, and more northerly (or southerly) your latitude, the more impressive the displays you will see.
Near Earth Objects Essay Research Paper Near
Near Earth Objects Essay, Research Paper Near Earth Objects What are NEOs? Where do they come from? Do they pose any real threat to Earth? Can they provide viable space resources? All of these questions are now
Hell Essay Research Paper HELL Hell
Hell Essay, Research Paper HELL Hell. What is it? How do you get there? Well Hell isdifferent for many people. For some people Hell can be stuck inan elevator with Kathy Lee Gifford and listening to John Tesh beltout the tunes on his piano. Hell can also be living in a thirdworld country with no food and dying of some common disease thatis easily curable in some other country.
Independence Day Essay Research Paper After watching
Independence Day Essay, Research Paper After watching Independence Day the aliens should have won and taken over the earth easily, for many reasons. First when the aliens entered our atmosphere each space ship was fifteen miles wide. America has good weapons but enough to take out these spaceships that have a protective shield around them.
Good Earth Essay Research Paper The Good
Good Earth Essay, Research Paper The Good Earth Pearl S. Buck / Historical Fiction The Good Earth is a saga about the life and death of Wang Lung. The story starts out on his wedding