Wang Lung In The Good Earth

Pearl S. Buck’s character, Wang Lung, in her novel, The Good Earth, is one who acts and thinks immorally. His morally ambiguous nature is evident through many incidents involving himself and his family, which mirrors the theme of complicated situations brees irrationality and immoral decisions.these desperate and newly found situations in Twentieth Century China allows the audience to easily sympathize with Wang Lung when in current society, many of his thoughts and actions would create an immense hatred for his complex

The Good Earth is a novel about China before it’s great revolution which ended the monarchy. The book was written by Pearl S. Buck, the first American woman to be so highly honored. This book has many interesting characters from peasants to lords, and many are very extraordinary, yet identical in various ways. In this response I will be comparing and contrasting the two wives of Wang Lung, O-lan and Lotus. There are many separating factors between the two, but there are also multiple similarities: O-lan was hard working and productive while Lotus was constantly idle, one was suitable for a farmer, unlike the other, which was made for a lord; however both wives were replaced by someone more beautiful in the end. First, let us bring out the what

The Death of Woman Wang, by Jonathan Spence is an educational historical novel of northeastern China during the seventeenth century. The author's focus was to enlighten a reader on the Chinese people, culture, and traditions. Spence's use of the provoking stories of the Chinese county T'an-ch'eng, in the province of Shantung, brings the reader directly into the course of Chinese history. The use of the sources available to Spence, such as the Local History of T'an-ch'eng, the scholar-official Huang Liu-hung's handbook and stories of the writer P'u Sung-Ling convey the reader directly into the lives of poor farmers, their workers and wives. The intriguing structure of The Death of Woman Wang consists on observing these people working on

“Well, and I suppose that means you do not want to work on the land and I shall not have a son on my own land, and I with sons and to spare.’ This he said with bitterness, but the boy said nothing” This conversation between him and his son made him finally realize that they wouldn’t carry on their father’s great values, and that is because during the time he was rich he left some traditions behind. Wang lung valued his land and above all he had faith in his gods once again. Traditional values were forgotten by the result of wealthy living, the kids not caring about the farmlands and not understanding the earth gods prove that wealth destroyed ancient traditions.

In Pearl S. Buck’s novel, The Good Earth, the protagonist, Wang Lung, starts out as a very poor farmer in China. He marries a slave named O-lan and starts a family with her. Famine soon strikes the town and there is no food to be found anywhere. Wang Lung moves his family South in hopes of finding a job there. Eventually, a group of poor people raid the homes of the rich. Wang Lung and O-lan both join in, getting away with enough gold and valuables to get back to their land in the North. Wang Lung uses this stolen money to buy more land and hire laborers. He quickly becomes one of the richest men in his town. Wang Lung, however, does not know that with great wealth comes great responsibility. His wealth corrupts him and his moral judgements become blurred. Wang

The historical classic, “The Good Earth”, revolves around the life of Wang Lung, introducing the average Chinese farmer on his wedding day to the slave O-lan. Together, the newly married couple care for Wang Lung’s father and farm the land, prospering from the fruits of their labor. Their early life continues to bring great fortune when they are able to purchase land from the House of Hwang, who O-lan served, and when their first two children are born sons.

“The Good Earth” book describes the life of a Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, and the struggles he goes through during his life. In the beginning of the book, he marries a young slave named Olan. She is a devoted, selfless, hardworking wife. In my mind, she is the most admirable character in the novel.

This book started with Wang Lung introducing himself and how his life is like. He lived with his father mostly because his father was really sick and Wang Lung had to take care of him. His father was a traditional and moral man. He did not approve many things that went on in the house. Later on, he went to the house of the Huang’s and got a slave to be his wife. Her name was O-Lan. O-Lan was a slave and she was treated really terribly most of her life, even when she married Wang Lung. Together they had 5 children: three boys and two girls, each with very different characteristics.

“Now if the water had receded...Wang Lung would never have gone again to the great tea shop.”. “[He] might have forgotten the pointed face on the scroll.” (Buck 176) The waters not receding lead Wang to lust, this idleness lead to lust, and his lust lead to trouble at his home. The biggest problem, however, that Wang Lung contends with comes in chapter 13 when they have to live in the south. “Not food enough to feed savage hunger and not cloths enough to cover bone.”. “Wang Lung lived in the foundations of poverty.” (Buck 113). This was his biggest challenge because no food, no clothes, and horrible poverty as he had not previously known. In conclusion Wang Lung has faced dire hardships, but none compare to his time in the

he author of “The good Earth” shows the readers that nothing can just become a reality through magic but that you have to work hard to make your dreams a reality. The author shows that nothing can just be handed to you easily out in the real world. Wang Lung and his family have to go through a lot of hard times to be able to get the the good ones. Wang Lung and his family's hard work and endless fighting would make them agree with Colin Powell who stated “A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

Page 357 states,“ 'Rest assured, our father, rest assured. The land is not to be sold.' But over the old man's head they looked at each other and smiled”. This tragic ending is universal seeing that people in the 21st century, and really in all time periods, may do or have done the exact same thing if they were put in that situation. Many people would be more engrossed in the instantaneous earnings of selling the land than waiting for the rewards that eventually come from the land, for they may not understand the true value and meaning of the land. Many generations have different experiences in life, so something that is worth one generation's life is useless to another’s. Wang Lung spent his entire life working in the land because his entire

Benjamin Franklin once said “Having been poor is no shame, being ashamed of it is.” What he meant by this, was that if one is poor because of circumstances outside of their control, there is no shame to them; it is not their fault. But if one is ashamed of being poor, is embarrassed with it, as Wang Lung is through the entire beginning of the novel, that makes being poor shameful. In the Good Earth, Pearl Buck uses the idea that money changes people to make Wang Lung a dynamic character, a trait that causes people to spend special attention to him. If someone is interesting, as I believe Wang Lung to be, it means they have a trait that causes a special sort of attention paid to he or she. He was so embarrassed and ashamed of his finances, when

The novel, The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, takes place outside of a small village in China during the early twentieth century. Women, during this time period, have little say in anything involving their lives. They are expected to take care of the house, as well as tending to the children and men of the family, whether it be the husband, his father, or brothers. Women possess the skills to provide for and serve the family, and that is what they do. In this novel Wang Lung is a typical, poor farmer. He spends his days tending to the fields and his father. When Wang Lung and O-lan marry, he is pleased that she models an adequate wife by doing what she is supposed to do and more. Lung’s life changes drastically once O-lan enters it. He gradually

The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck about Wang Lung, a farmer living in pre-revolutionary China. Lung utilizes the earth for many purposes, and works hard for it. His diligence eventually “pays off,” and he becomes wealthy. The novel explores the culture of China and assists the reader in understanding the conditions in China during that time period. It demonstrates Chinese customs and values, such as the values of hard work and honesty. In The Good Earth, hard work and virtue are rewarded, while idleness and vice are not.

Has the reader ever gone against the basic morals or values of his or her family? Some may not think twice about it, while others base their entire life on their family’s beliefs. However, the reader may have grown up in a life of great privilege compared to his or her parents’ childhood, causing him or her to stray from some of the basic family values. This occurred in The Good Earth, which is based on the Wang family. The father, Lung, was raised in a very traditional Chinese family. He eventually married and had sons of his own. He became prosperous when his sons were young, therefore, unlike their father, the sons grew up in a life of opulence. As a result, they had different attitudes from their father, especially about what was important