Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth

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Recommended: Women's cultures in China

In Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth women are looked at as inferior to men. In the 20th century, which is when this novel takes place, women are considered the property of a man from birth until death. Buck illustrates the outlook of women in the novel by creating different relationships and thoughts between the opposite genders. The main character in the story, Wang Lung, treats many of the women in his life the same way, except for one. Some of the women who were dependent upon him, but also played a huge role in his life were Olan, Lotus, and Poor Fool. Even though each of the women in the story had a different purpose and were mostly treated the same way, they all pointed out a more universal observation about women in the twentieth-century Chinese culture.

Throughout Wang Lung’s life more and more women were being introduced to him. Whether they became part of his family, or worked as a slave or concubine, they were all treated with the same respect. The first woman that Wang Lung ever met was Olan. Olan was a slave at the wealthy House of Hwang, and had been since she was ten years old. In chapter one Buck tells of how the father of Wang Lung went to the House of Hwang and asked for a girl "not a slave too young , and above all, not a pretty one" (8). He then says:

Parker 2

And what will we do with a pretty woman? We must have a woman who will tend the house and bear children as she works in the fields, and will a pretty woman do

these things? She will be forever thinking about clothes to go with her face! No, not a pretty woman in our house. We are farmers. Moreover, who has heard of a pretty slave who was virgin in a wealthy house? All the young lords have had their fill of her. It is better to ...

... middle of paper ...

... The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, truly illustrates the life of chinese women in the twentieth century. Not only does it describe the daily life of women but it also goes in depth about the perceptions of women back then. Although there are several other women in the story who leave an imprint on Wang Lung's life, Olan, Lotus, and Poor Fool are the three most important ones.

Works Cited

Baker, Caroline. "Position of Women in Chinese History - Chinese Culture." BellaOnline -- The Voice of Women. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

Gao Xiongya. Pearl S. Buck's Chinese Women Characters. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, 2000.

Hist 471: Chinese Culture in 20th Century A Blog of One’s Own." A Blog of One’s Own. 27 Jan. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Good Earth.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.

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