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The Good Earth is a narrative that revolves around the poor farmer Wang Lung and his wife O-Lan during the turn of the century China. O-Lan is a slave girl with the then wealthy Hwang family. Wang Lung’s requests the Hwang family to spare a slave girl to be married to his son. O-Lan is hard working and together with Hang Lung cultivates the land which gives them a good harvest. O-Lan becomes pregnant and their firstborn is a son. Because of their decadent habits, the fortunes of the Hwang family are completely eroded, and to get some money they sell off a portion of their fertile land to Wang Lung. At Best Essay Forum, we provide the best book reviews, Literature reviews and movie reviews for our clients, which are 100% Plagiarism free as our professional writers write them. Book reviews, Literature reviews and movie reviews are written by qualified degree holders of Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. They produce your academic assignments with much attention, fulfilling the requirements.
In The Good Earth Wang Lung works the newly acquired land and enjoys another good harvest and his wife also delivers a second son. The fortunes of the Hwang family continue to slide and Wang Lung is able to buy more land from the Hwang family. The newly acquired affluence of Wang Lung attracts the jealousy of his uncle who borrows money from him. Because Chinese tradition dictates that elder must be given respect, Wang Lung gives his uncle the money, knowing full well that it will be wasted and not returned. The Good Earth was written at a time when China was attempting modernization, while still clinging to its old traditions.
The Good Earth is a narration of the travails of a poor farmer, Wang Lung who works hard and prospers and the Hwang family who destroy themselves and their fortune by bad habits which include copious consumption of opium. The basic theme of The Good Earth depicts the wholesome and beneficial strength derived from the earth. In the entire book, the relationship with the land shows goodness, sensibility, a reverence for nature and strong work principles, while disaffection and separation from the land shows profligacy and sleaze, fraud and dishonesty.
Pearl Buck assimilates the main character in The Good Earth as Wang Lung a poor farmer who loves the earth and cultivates a cherished relationship with the earth because it gives him sustenance and produces the harvest through the sweat of his brow. This shows the disparity between him and the Hwang family who are alienated from the earth because their work is done by hired laborers. Since the Hwang family is separated from the earth they cultivate vices, while Hang Lung’s respect and love of nature is the reason for his piety and good nature. These Confucian aspects give the novel its title and theme.