The Good Earth O-Lan Quotes

Both worked hard and bought a great amount of land so they could increase their fortune. To manage all that wealth Wang Lung had to be smart and never forget about his traditional values. Wang Lung was held in his wants and desires as he wasted all his family’s savings to buy more land. By this time in the novel Wang Lung was being a terrible example for his kids. He would make terrible decisions economically speaking, which could lead to very complex and bad situations. Speaking about bad situations the famine in the ancient china begun. "Hunger makes thief of any man." ( Page. 122) The quote above makes it clear that becoming a wealthy man didn’t change Wang Lung completely; he still obtained very important values. With those traditional values in mind he could understand that during the famine it was hard to survive and this could lead to various

When we are introduced to Wang Lung in the beginning of the novel, he owns an average sized amount of land already in his possession, the same land that his father had farmed in his own time. However, as he becomes more successful later in his life, the farmer begins to purchase more land from the House of Hwang and from other farmers in his area. In comparison to others, Wang Lung considers his land to have rich soil and be perfect for farming, a prime example presented when he contrasts his own land to his uncle’s, which he describes to have “soil like lime” (Page 52) because of his uncle’s careless farming techniques. With his great wealth, Wang Lung is able to hire workers to tend to his land when he is in his old age, and to rent his land

As the book progresses O-lan already married is a hardworking quiet wife who gives Wang Lung 3 sons and 1 girl, which back then means your house was blessed if your first born were boys and she continues to work hard even thru the pregnancy’s she asks nothing of Wang Lung only to have something to cut the life from her to the baby. While Cuckoo is the concubine of the Old Lord and still a slave however, she eventually seizes power and becomes a teahouse keeper due to the Old Lord passing away and Cuckoo selling his land. Between beauty and intelligence it seems intelligence lead O-lan further thru life than it did for Cuckoo. Near the end of the novel Cuckoo was a way for Wang Lung to see Lotus due to her being the owner of a teahouse or brothel, between Wang Lung and Lotus when both Cuckoo and Lotus moved in. O-lan grew sad and angry not mainly because of Lotus and Wang Lung but of her enemy Cuckoo. “'Well, and you may have lived in the courts of the Old Lord, and you were accounted beautiful, but I have been a man's wife and I have borne him sons, and you are still a slave'" (Buck 187). This quote is important for character because O-lan is pointing out all of her accomplishments from working hard and she is also pointing out that Cuckoo’s beauty got her far with the Old Lord however,

Early in the novel, Wang Lung suspects O-lan of conceiving another child shortly after bearing their first son. With irritation and fatigue, Wang Lung confronts O-lan of purposely having a child during that time as an excuse to stop working since harvest would be at its peak. Exhausted from the hard labor, Wang Lung did not comfort O-lan, but rather tell himself that he had suffered equally with his labor in the fields as she had with childbirth (Buck 57). As a wife, O-lan was not only expected bear a child, but also tend to the fields with Wang Lung. Distinguishing the two roles, Wang Lung implies that those responsibilities hold different meanings, yet are equally as important for men and women to accomplish. In a similar manner, Wang Lung scolds his aunt and cousins because of their poor mannerisms. He questions why the eldest female cousin had not been married yet and why she still runs about. Wang Lung calls his uncle’s destiny “evil” because of his misfortunes regarding his family. He then finishes by advising his uncle that “it is better for a girl to be married while she is yet virgin” (60).  By this, Wang Lung states his opinion on a young girl’s role and how she should act, further instituting gender roles created by their society. Through this portion, Pearl Buck shows that gender roles can affect women and men in

O-lan and Wang Lung demonstrate to the readers consistent acts of faithfulness, proving their virtues. The couple’s diligence moves them higher in social status, which brings honor to their lives and family. Unlike Lung’s Uncle and Cousin, who’s habitual dishonesty prove their vice and laziness. These characteristics result in dishonor, and the pair’s unfulfilling lives. Rewards in life, come from hard work, slowly and consistently working towards a goal, if there is no work there is no reward. Israelmore Ayivor, the inspirational author, said it best,“Leaders get to tall heights by taking short steps. Being faithful, diligent and consistent with little steps is the secret to mounting greater heights.”

Since the beginning of time, men have always adjudged theirself as a superior to women in both power and status. In a way, this situation is rather prevalent in Pearl S. Buck’s historical fiction The Good Earth. Throughout the novel, Wang Lung overcomes an impoverished life and becomes a wealthy landowner, with the support and help of O-Lan. Despite being the wife of Wang Lung, O-lan was treated as if a slave and at one point was looked down upon for her unattractive features. Many of Wang Lung’s actions depict traditional Chinese beliefs that women are inferior beings, where they are under constant oppression by men.

He is looked down upon by others due to his poverty. Wang Lung must visit the House of Hwang to meet his new bride and when he does he walks through the courts “with his face burning and his head bowed” (15). He feels angry after having a fool made out of him by the gateman and he feels awkward and anxious to be walking through a house as majestic as the House of Hwang because he is only a poor farmer. Later though, due to his father's increasing wealth, Wang Lung’s eldest son’s place in society is above that of which his father had at his age. The eldest son becomes melancholy and starts to mope around the house.

Wang Lung wasn’t very close to his sons when they were growing up. Wang just kinda assumed that O-lan was going to take care of them so he didn’t really worry about them when they were growing up. He was more worried about his land and keeping his entire family alive. The sons are not only distant from their father, but they are also distant from each other. This created continual discord throughout the entire family. This might be due to the fact that they don’t have very much in common and they are all very different, especially due to the way they were raised. The three boys all resemble their father in some kind of way. The first son resembles the part of Wang Lung that was more reckless , he visited prostitutes like his father did and he spent money recklessly. No matter how much money he

In the course of everyone's life, ups and downs inevitably occurs. In Pearl S. Buck’s novel, The Good Earth, we observe as Wang Lung’s life rises up and becomes a wealthy and humble man. Wang Lung is a poor orphan farmer and he works his way up to becoming a wealthy, humble, and successful older man. This novel provides scenes that represents the meaning and tragedy of life.

Wang Lung’s life is a roller coaster, it has ups and downs. In the story, Wang Lung goes from poor farmer, to well off, to a very poor beggar, to a very rich man in a very rich house. He does not earn everything in a linear path throughout his life. Sometimes he loses, sometimes he gains. That is the way life is as well; it’s a mystery.

She marries Wang Lung, whose father paid for the bride, as the marriage goes on she is verbally abused. Wang Lung tells O-Lan how ugly she is and she says nothing in return. She shows little to no emotion throughout the novel and this is seen several times. When the family is low on food they must kill the ox for nourishment, Wang Lung cannot do it, she ends up killing the ox and there is no emotion that the reader can detect in her mood. O-Lan tells Wang Lung she is with child while working in the fields and then continues to work showing no excitement for the birth of a child.

Wang Lung says that to his eldest son, to explain to him that the land is extreamily imperative, not to mention that if it wasn’t for the land he would still be the son of a simple peasant. One of the biggest themes in Pearl’s Buck novel is the man’s relationship to the earth, and the power that land has over men. Wang Lung as a farmer had a intimate relationship with the land, considering that he used to produce his own harvests through his own xtough labor, and that was the way he could afford to take care of his family. While the Hwang Family didn’t care much about the land, they hired their own labor and wasted money easily. Pearl uses Wang Lung and his family to verify the traditional Chinese Cultures from the early twentieth century, which were critical times for China’s political fate.

Wang Lung’s uncle is very lazy and vicious. He is an unsuccessful farmer due to his idleness. Sometimes he sells his crops when they are still in the ground because reaping the harvests strip too much effort from the idle fool. Since he does not make much money from his harvests, he blames it on bad luck and depends on Lung for money. Since society operates in filial piety, Wang Lung has to give his uncle the money. Lung’s uncle also participates in gang violence and cannibalism. He is not rewarded by the Gods. He did, however, have wealth and power by living in the House of Hwang with Wang Lung but only because Lung has to obey him. Lung’s uncle never finds tranquility. He is never content with what he has. He is always striving for more in vicious and idle ways which cause his unfulfilling life. Wang Lung’s cousin is also idle and vicious. He never learns to work and is very lusty. When he lives with Wang Lung’s family, he introduces Lung’s eldest son to prostitutes. He also flirts with his relatives and practices incest. He is not rewarded by the Gods because he is so vicious. Instead, he never lives a fulfilling life. When he grows up he abandons his wife and unborn

The Good Earth, by Pearl Buck is set in the early twentieth century in China. During such a time period, many are dependent upon the earth for a variety of things such as the ability to sell the goods the land produces to make a living, their main food supply for themselves, as well as for their homes, along with the repairing of their homes. The Good Earth begins in the humble home of the Wang family on the wedding day of Wang Lung, in which Lung is introduced to his wife, O-lan. O-lan has played a multitude of roles in her lifetime, including a street-beggar and a slave. Having experienced such roles, O-lan has become equipped with a plethora of skills in which benefit the Wang family. In a similar fashion to the earth, O-lan aides an immense

A friend of mine gave me a copy of The Good Earth as a birthday gift. Until then, I had never heard of the literary masterpiece or the author, Pearl S. Buck. The story captivated me. I found myself engrossed in the story of the poor farmer Wang Lung whose love for his land allowed him to overcome many odds including famine, flood and a revolution. Through hard work and dedication, Wang Lung became one of the wealthiest landowners in the Anweih province of China. Sadly, Wang Lung’s two sons did not share his passion for “the good earth” and cared only for their bequest. Wang Lung was still on his death bed when the two sons decided that as soon as their father died, they would sell the land