The Good Earth

Wang Lung

The protagonist of The Good Earth. He begins life as a poor farmer and marries O-lan, a slave owned by the Hwang family. Wang Lung maintains a fierce attachment to the land. However, he is also extremely ambitious and envies the material success of the wealthy Hwangs. He is increasingly drawn to the Hwangs' decadent lifestyle, and in the end, his piety and love of the land is only partially successful in helping him maintain his good character and moral standing.

O-lan

A woman sold to the wealthy Hwang family as a slave when she was ten years old. After she marries Wang Lung, she achieves a respectable position as the mother of three sons. She is a strong, hardworking, resourceful woman and a devoted wife. Still, she is continually marginalized by Wang Lung, and she is eventually replaced in his affections.

Wang Lung's father

A traditional and morally severe man.

Wang Lung's uncle

A cunning scoundrel and thief. Wang Lung's uncle is the younger brother of Wang Lung's father. Because the uncle is a member of the older generation, Wang Lung must show him respect and give him support in difficult times, despite his despicable nature. The uncle constantly exploits Wang Lung's adherence to traditional Chinese codes of conduct.

The wife of Wang Lung's uncle

A village gossip. Like her husband and son, she is lazy and manipulative.

The son of Wang Lung's uncle

A wasteful, disrespectful scoundrel, and a sexual predator.

Lotus

A beautiful, delicate prostitute with bound feet. Lotus becomes Wang Lung's concubine. She has a terrible temper.

Wang Lung's first son

Extravagant, arrogant, and obsessed with appearances, Wang Lung's first son grows up spoiled and rejects the values that made his father rich.

Wang Lung's second son

Crafty, enterprising, and miserly, Wang Lung's second son is more responsible than the first son, but he also rejects his father's traditional values as outmoded.

The wife of Wang Lung's first son

The daughter of a local grain merchant, Liu. She grew up in a wealthy family, so she urges her husband to spend money on luxury items; she is spoiled and reckless. Like many women from wealthy families, she has bound feet.

The wife of Wang Lung's second son

The daughter of a modest landowning village family. She becomes enemies with the wife of Wang Lung's first son.

Wang Lung's third son

The twin of Wang Lung's second daughter. He dreams of glory and becomes a soldier against his father's wishes.

Wang Lung's first daughter

Suffers from severe malnutrition as an infant during a famine year. She is retarded and never learns to speak. Wang Lung develops a strong attachment to her and worries about what will become of her after his death.

Wang Lung's second daughter

The twin of Wang Lung's third son. After Wang Lung begins to criticize O-lan's appearance cruelly, especially her big feet, O-lan decides to bind the little girl's feet. Wang Lung promises her in marriage to Liu's son.

Cuckoo

A slave who worked in the House of Hwang at the same time as O-lan. Cuckoo was beautiful in her youth, so the Old Master took her as his concubine while O-lan worked as a kitchen slave. Arrogant and bad-tempered, she insulted and berated O-lan constantly.

Ching

Wang Lung's neighbor in the village and, later, Wang Lung's capable, faithful, valued servant.

Pear Blossom

A slave purchased by Wang Lung during the famine years, when she was seven years old. She serves as Lotus's personal servant for years.

Liu

A grain merchant in town and a relative of Wang Lung's by marriage.

Old Mistress Hwang

The opium-addicted matriarch of the great Hwang family.

Old Master Hwang

The patriarch of the great Hwang family when Wang Lung is a poor farmer. He spends money extravagantly and drains his coffers by taking a succession of concubines.

full title

The Good Earth

author

Pearl S. Buck

type of work

Novel

genre

Parable, American literature about China

time and place written

1930-1931

narrator

The story is narrated in a coolly detached third-person voice that often describes Wang Lung's thoughts and feelings and generally describes only the actions, and not the thoughts, of the other characters.

point of view

The novel is written almost exclusively from Wang Lung's point of view.

tone

The narrator's tone is solemn and detached. The story is told with a great deal of gravity, but the language is kept very simple and remains placid even when describing events of great trauma and upheaval. The story's tone has reminded some readers of the Bible; it is based in part on the tone of much of the Chinese literature Buck knew well.

tense

Past

settings (time)

Roughly 1890s-1930s

settings (place)

Anhwei, China; Wang Lung's nearby farm; the far-off southern city of Nanking

protagonist

Wang Lung

major conflict

Wang Lung's desire for wealth and status clashes with his simple respect for the earth and his adherence to old Chinese traditions of religious and filial piety. Later, Wang comes into conflict with his uncle's family and with his children, as they exploit his wealth and disregard his wishes.

rising action

The various natural disasters of the book—famine, drought, and flood; Wang Lung's marriage to O-lan and the birth of his children; his struggle through poverty in Kiangsu

climax

The financial success of Wang Lung

falling action

Wang Lung's increasing interest in women and sensual pleasures; his old age; the children's decision to sell his land

themes

Man's relationship to the earth; wealth as a destroyer of traditional values; the place of women in Chinese culture

motifs

The cycle of nature; religion

symbols

Foot-binding; the House of Hwang; O-lan's pearls

foreshadowing

The downfall of the Hwangs foreshadows the downfall of Wang Lung's family; the raid on Wang Lung's house and the discovery that his sons have been stealing foreshadow Wang Lung's own theft of the gold from the rich man's house; Wang Lung's disappointment in seeing O-lan's unbound feet foreshadows his affair with Lotus, whose feet are bound.

Why is it ironic that Wang Lung is disappointed that O-lan's feet are not bound?

Buck's characterization of O-lan demonstrates how important women's labor can be to the financial success of her family. O-lan performs valuable domestic labor, and she increases Wang Lung's wealth by helping him work in the field. For this reason, it is ironic that Wang Lung is disappointed in O-lan's unbound feet. Women with bound feet have difficulty standing and walking and could never perform work such as O-lan's. Wang Lung desires a woman with bound feet as a status symbol, but only through having a wife who could work is Wang Lung able to attain the riches a woman with bound feet was supposed to represent.

Why does O-lan smother the second infant daughter born to her and Wang Lung? To what extent does O-lan's cultural and economic context lessen what might otherwise appear to be a horrible and unforgivable crime?

It might be tempting to condemn O-lan for smothering her infant, but it is necessary to consider her circumstances. She is already the mother of two sons and a daughter, and the family is living under the burden of a terrible famine; they are in danger of starving to death, and the newborn baby is likely to die a much more painful death by starvation, should she live. O-lan cannot count on having enough nourishment to nurse this baby; should she try to nurse the infant, she might die. Her three young children still depend heavily on her, and it is unlikely that they would survive if she died. Just as the threat of starvation drives Wang Lung's neighbors to raid his home, the same threat drives O-lan to kill her own child.

Why does Wang Lung endure his uncle's demands?

It might seem strange to Western readers that Wang Lung would endure his lazy, wasteful uncle's exploitation. However, in traditional Chinese culture, respect for the elder generation is extremely important. Not only was Wang Lung raised with these values, but he recognizes that his society would look down on him were he to break with tradition. He must allow himself to be exploited by his uncle if he wants to maintain his reputation within his community.

What is Wang Lung's reaction upon first seeing O-lan?

He is disappointed that she does not have bound feet

What does O-lan think of Wang Lung in the early days of their marriage?

She seems pleased with him

What does The Good Earth reveal about the status of women in traditional Chinese culture?

That although there are a variety of roles for women, none of the roles are equal to men's roles

Why can't Wang Lung refuse his uncle's demands?

Traditional Chinese culture dictates young people's obedience to their elders

Why does Wang Lung rent the House of Hwang?

It satisfies him to move into the house where he was once treated like a lowly serf

How does Wang Lung deal with the problems his uncle causes him?

He buys opium for his uncle and his uncle's family

What does Wang Lung do with O-lan's two pearls?

He gives them to Lotus

Why does Wang Lung rise to wealth and influence?

He works hard and manages his money carefully, O-lan works hard and is a resourceful, frugal wife, and Luck

What happens to the second infant daughter born to Wang Lung and O-lan?

O-lan smothers her because she is born during a famine year

Which of the following best characterizes Wang Lung's religion?

A combination of Taoism, Buddhism, and earth deity worship

Judging from The Good Earth, what color has special significance in traditional Chinese culture?

Red

Why is Wang Lung so devastated by Ching's death?

Ching was Wang Lung's devoted friend and servant for many years

What happens to Wang Lung's third son?

He becomes an officer in a revolutionary army

What happens to Wang Lung's retarded daughter?

Pear Blossom promises to care for her after Wang Lung's death

How does Wang Lung feel about his affair with Pear Blossom?

He feels a little ashamed because he grew up disdaining the decadent behavior of the rich

How do Wang Lung's sons feel about his affair with Pear Blossom?

His oldest son is impressed, His second son does not react, and His third son is angry because he asked for Pear Blossom

Which of the following best describes Wang Lung's relationship with his sons?

It is tense, because they all rebel against his way of life and his plans for them

Why does O-lan hate Cuckoo?

When they were both slaves in the House of Hwang, Cuckoo insulted and abused her

When does Wang Lung come to appreciate everything that O-lan has done for him?

When O-lan becomes bedridden, and the household quickly falls into disorder

In The Good Earth, what is the only good thing that truly lasts?

The land

When Wang Lung is ready to get married, why does his father oppose his choice of a pretty woman?

He fears that she is not a virgin

Why does Wang Lung send his younger daughter to her future husband's family so early?

The son of Wang Lung's uncle has shown an unusual interest in her, so Wang Lung is afraid that he cannot protect her virginity any longer

When Lotus comes to Wang Lung's household, what is her primary purpose?

To satisfy Wang Lung's sexual appetite