Analysis of woman in The Good Earth

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There is always a woman behind a successful man, and women can also contribute to a man's failure. In the book of The Good Earth, the protagonist WangLung is significantly influenced by his three women. They contribute tremendously to the inner psychological mentality of Wanglung. They also serve as the supporting base behind family structure. Wanglung were considered the masters in both family and society, O-lan contributed to the underlying foundation of the family, although not acknowledged, was a molder of their male counterparts, even superior to her husband.
In the book The Good Earth, the author describes many female characters. Although they each have different family background, experiences and destinies, they all more or less reflect a kind of tragedy. O-lan is one of the most important characters among the three women. She is the one who helps Wanglung to get rich cultivating the earth, and finally over her life with a seemingly victory fate.O-lan's fate is rough and bumpy. She is sold to the Hwang house as a slave when she is still a kid. Further more, O-lan is abused because of her ugly outward appearance. Her self-esteem is ruined by those rich. All of these make O-lan seal her heart others, she learns to be silent, and buries her misfortune under her face forever. Although O-lan marries with Wanglung, she is not willing to tell him her misfortune, until she confesses these things during her last time in a coma. On the other hand, O-lan can keep her virgin until her marriage with Wanglung is thanks to her ugly outward appearance. Because almost every girl works as a slave in the rich family becomes a toy of their masters. Comparing with people surround her, the ugly outward appearance actually make her have the lowe...

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...ious aspects, she tries her best to live a little bit more freedom, she is eagered of freedom and pursuiting it. O-lan lives in the adversity show an abnormal social living consciousness and inherited virtue to the readers, peacefully illustrating a woman’s strong willing against the adversity, with a spirit which is stronger than men do.

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Then slowly she thrust her wet wrinkled hand into her bosom and she drew forth the small package and she gave it to him and watched him as he unwrapped it; and the pearls lay in his hand and they caught softly and fully the light of the sun, and he laughed. But O-lan returned to the beating of his clothes and when tears dropped slowly and heavily from her eyes she did not put up her hand to wipe them away; only she beat the more steadily with her wooden stick upon the clothes spread over the stone.(Pearl S. Buck 174)

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