O-Lan Thesis

The bitter cold bit against the starved girl’s skeletal body. She was tired. Her parents discussed ways to get to good lands. They told her the only way to have a better life was to sell her into slavery. The girl, only ten years old was silent. She dreamed of fine clothing and good food. The girl went to the House of Hwang. She was too ugly to be in sight; she was kept in the scullery. All dreams of any kind were lashed out of her young mind. Mistreated, beaten, and underestimated, young O-lan learned to work hard and became resigned to her fate. One day, the Old Mistress summoned her and told her that she was to be married to a poor farmer. The other slaves scoffed, but O-lan was grateful for a chance to be free - they married. O-lan vowed

She offered wisdom when asked and was smart in the ways of the world. During the famine, when the family went south in search of food, O-lan taught her children how to beg for food, “dug the small green weeds, dandelions, and shepherds purse that thrust up feeble new leaves”(p. 128). She raised her children prudently. She knew how to bind her daughter’s feet, and she gave them a better childhood than she had had. O-lan knew that the land was the only consistent thing in her life, so she willingly helped Wang Lung as he bought more and more land. O-lan knew her place in the family was as a wife and mother. As a wife, she felt like more of a slave. She did all the cooking, cleaning, and mending; at times, she also helped in the fields. O-lan had been a slave her entire life, so when she became a mother, she was more important: the bearer of Wang Lung’s children, a wise counsel, and someone to be respected. O-lan prided herself in “knowing best”, although she could not speak unless spoken

A stoic is “a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining”(Webster). When she bears her first child, she refuses all assistance and gives birth alone. When she has her third child, she immediately returns to the field, knowing that her husband is angry because the newborn girl is “a slave”, yet powerless to confront his emotion. Although her quality of life with Wang Lung is better than at the House of Hwang, she is oppressed because she is at the mercy of her husband. When Wang Lung takes her pearls, a symbol of love and appreciation, O-lan is at her breaking point. She “did not put up her hand to wipe (the tears) away; she only beat more steadily with her wooden stick upon the clothes spread over the stone”(p. 200). The only time that O-lan truly showed her emotions was when she was passionate about something or when she could not hold them in any longer. O-lan’s stoicism served her well, but at the same time, it estranged her from Wang Lung. He was fond of her, but she did not give him any sign of appreciation. Because of this emotional distance, Wang Lung could not understand his wife’s