The Good Earth: Soil, Rain and Harvest by Pearl S. Buck

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The Good Earth: Soil, Rain and Harvest
The classic novel, The Good Earth, is such a fascinating and pleasantly engaging as it communicates the interesting livelihood of a young man living in China, along with his old father, in a desperate search to discover his place within society. The book is captivating and draws the reader in to want to learn more about this foreign life. The characters within the story line are constantly evolving with fullness of personality that personalities could leap from the pages. If anyone has ever wondered about what the culture in China is like, then reading The Good Earth is undoubtedly a novel that assists in painting a vivid picture of China and its people in an individual’s mind. One of the main characters in the novel is Wang Lung. He is a farmer whose primary concern is cultivating his land and acquiring more of it. This land produced rich soil that inhaled the rainwater to produce a harvest to feed, clothe and shelter Wang Lung and his family. When Wang Lung worked and plowed his land, he was content and overjoyed with pride. His story is also tells of the ability and power what a focused mind can accomplish. Not only does Wang Lung’s story inspire accomplishments as a result of his wealth, but it also shares his strongholds of lust, deception, pride and greed. Initially, Wang Lung desired to maintain secrecy about monies he would earn for he and his family. However, eventually, he did mind broadcasting his wealth by adding additional bedrooms to his home, desiring his youngest daughter’s feet bound and purchasing a concubine. Men of wealth were well respected in China for they were considered to have good fortune as a result of their riches of land, jewels, silver, gold, fine c...

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...nt when he asked her for the mass of beautiful jewels that she found “in the rich man’s house” (Buck 145). “Now treasure like this one cannot keep. It must be sold and put into safety”, proclaimed Wang Lung (Buck 145). Even her last two pearls she gave to her husband, although he took them from her and gave them to his concubine. Yet still, during her dying days, O-lan did not embrace self-centeredness and was submissive to her husband, her father-in-law and her family by continuing her domestic responsibilities. If any character within this novel should be applauded, it should be O-lan because she did not allow the challenges of life to overcome the duties of her beliefs. Olan embraced the concept of the Confucian belief of family and knew her place within her family.

Work Cited
Buck, Pearl S. The Good Earth. New York: Washington Square Press, 1931. Print.

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