The Good Earth Essay Research Paper 1

The Good Earth Essay, Research Paper

1. The Good Earth

2. Pearl S. Buck 1931

3. ChinaUSA

4. Characters:

Wang Lung: Wang Lung is a farmer who is at first very humble and content in his home then later becomes a proud, wealthy man who is always troubled in his home. In the beginning of the story he seems happy living as a farmer though at times he feels as though he is nothing to the merchants in the town. Wang Lung shows himself to be obedient to his father and shows that he follows the traditions that his father has instilled in him. When his wealth begins to grow, however, he then becomes boisterous and proud in his heart which makes it difficult to realize that he is indeed ashamed of treating O-Lan as though she were nothing and had done nothing to help him.

O-Lan: She is the wife of Wang Lung. She has a square figure and a dull face with “dumb” eyes. The Old Mistress says that she is not beautiful and that is the reason why her sons have not touched her. She has been a slave of the House of Hwang since childhood and she rarely ever speaks nor does she smile. When she learns that she is going to die, her heart opens itself to Wang Lung for the very first time. Thought she seemed to Wang as an indesirable woman, she proved to be a wise and beautiful woman inside.

Wang Lung’s Father: Though his body is matured and he is is indeed thought to almost be finished with his life, in him is seen a child. He laughs as though he were a child and when he hears or smells food he follows O-lan eagerly about the kitchen. he also does not do much for himself except lean against the wall of the house in the sunlight.

Lotus: She is a beautiful woman from the tea shop who comes to live in the house of Wang Lung. She has a slender body with tiny feet and pointed fingers that are soft and delicate. She seems to be spoiled by the hands of Wang Lung and cannot do the things that O-lan did for herself. She acts as though she is better thatn Wang Lung since he is a farmer. When he began tending the fields again and he smelled of garlic, she sent him away as though she had power over him.

Cuckoo: She is definitely greedy for money. She, as O-lan was, was a slave in the House of Hwang. There she was a slave to the Old Lord for many years. She was still there when the house was robbed and she stayed with her master until his death. Later she worked in the tea house selling the bodies of women to men. She shows her greed most when she speaks of a man who gave her a piece of silver everytime he saw her. She loved to hold it in her hands, especially from Wang Lung since there was plenty of silver in the house.

Nung En: The elder son of Wang. He looks much like his mother in his square build and was tall for his years. When he begins his journey to “manhood,” he seems restless and idle. He shows this by refusing to go to school and taking trips, with his cousin, to the Houe of Hwang to see a whore. It was least expcted that he shall become the one that disobeys his father for many though highly of him. In the end, he shows himself to be a true scholar and obedient to his fathers wishes, except for when him and his younder brother decide to sel the land.

Nung Wen: The younger son of Wang Lung. This son seemed more likely to cause more trouble for Wang Lung, since as a child he enjoyed and relished the fact that he had stole meat from a butcher in the South. Yet, he showed himslef to be obedient to his father as he grew older. He also shows that he has grown to be responsible, successful, and wise when he starts his own grain market.

Wang Lung’s Uncle and his uncle’s son: these two both have an attribute of not showing gratitude toward Wang. The both show this in Wang’s house and cause nothing but trouble and idle about the land and their apartment. The son is a wild tiger and shows it when he harrasses his younger female cousin and says that he is only playing with her. He father is very forceful, and he has the power to be since he is the leader of the bandits known as the Redbeards. These two have taken advantage of Wang Lung’s fortune and prosperity; they show absolutely no compassion or gratitude towards Wang at all.

Pear Blossom: YOung and beautiful, she is a slave at the house of Wang Lung. She was bought in a year of famine and since she is very delicate, did not do very many tasks except for assisting Cuckoo in her duties with Lotus. She is loyal to her mistress and begs for her forgiveness when Lotus is told of Wang’s dsire for her.

Ching: Ching was Wang’s farmer and neighbor. He was also one of Wang’s closest friends. Wang treated Ching as an equal, since they were both close friends and Ching was one of Wang’s most trusted laborers. When Ching dies, Wang cries at the loss. He cared for Ching deeply, and shows this by deciding to be buried as close as he can to Ching.

5. Settings

House of Wang Lung: Here is where Wang Lung and his father lived. It gives the reader a sense simplicity as well as hardships since the house was small and quaint, but Wang had to work all day and every day just to be able to feed himslef and his father.

South: Wang Lung and his family must retreat to the south since therehad been a great drought and famine in the north. Here in the South, Wang’s family is forced to beg for money so they can survive. The reader gets a sen

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