ipl-logo

The Good Earth Analysis

1415 Words6 Pages

Pearl S. Buck’s fantastic novel, The Good Earth, draws readers with its simple story of the hardships and journeys of a young man, Wang Lung as he grows up in Ancient China. In the beginning of the story, Wang Lung marries a slave girl from the rich and powerful family in the village. O'lan, his new wife, looks simple with her unbounded feet, but works hard at everything she does and deems a suitable partner for Wang Lung. Together they farm in the sunny fields and grow their family. Life looked pleasant for the new family as they buy land with their painstakingly earned money, but alas their situation started turning bleak.
Famine swept the land, and despite the prayers of the village, famine still drove residents to starve. Wang Lung had …show more content…

When a flood came in, Wang Lung hands became idle, and himself restless. Thus, he became bored and started accusing O’Lan as “a dull and common creature”, forgetting everything else she had done for him (179). His “realization” made him lust for another woman as he had lost his love for O’Lan, and he ultimately ended up in a mess. Only when his hands went back to work on his land, his “sickness” went away. Through sad examples, readers realize the dangers of laziness. Wang Lung openly hates stealing, and selling sons and daughters. Alas, when times turn tough, Wang Lung struggles greatly if he should break it or not. While he greatly reprimanded his son for stealing a piece of meat off the streets, he found himself in a stealing mob where he found gold and stole it in order to have enough cash to go home and support the family. Buck teaches readers the importance of working hard and also makes people ponder about their morals with Wang Lung’s …show more content…

Readers will enjoy, reflect and connect to the story of the Lungs, seeing their ambitions and how they strive to accomplish them, the challenges they face and the tough choices they need to make, and the consequences of their choices. Although this story was written close to a decade ago, people can still relate and feel the struggles of the family, as the book discusses the issues of today, such as family, wealth and drive. Painting a vivid picture of China even with its use of rather simple vocabulary, it makes it an easy read that can be enjoyed anywhere. Simply put, this book is a classic, and it makes a fantastic read with its simplicity and

Show More
Related

  • 'The Laughing Sutra' By Thomas C. Foster

    948 Words  | 4 Pages

    (117, Foster) The work of “The Laughing Sutra” is an example of political writing with an engaging plot and interesting characters. Readers learn about China’s government and the control they had over their people while simultaneously empathizing with the characters. The power is within in the story because of the people, but the politics- the government and power structures- was only in the background. However, Hsun-ching’s life in China was not the only glimpse of political issues that emerged in the book.

    Read More

  • A Literary Analysis Of Ha Songnan's 'Waxen Wings'

    478 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literary Analysis of “Waxen Wings” Failure is a grueling issue to consider even if it’s a natural way of life. Ha Songnan’s “Waxen Wings” expresses to never give up on your dreams because sometimes it takes failure to discover achievement. The nameless South Korean girl, “Birdie”, travels back to her childhood. As a child and even as an adult she has a brilliant imagination that consists of flying; yet, imagination is a ignominy in her culture.

    Read More

  • Heavenly Khan Book Report

    1247 Words  | 5 Pages

    Xiong uses battles, executions, assassinations, and scandals to appeal to readers of any genre. Once a reader gets into the book they are hooked in the epic events of the book and the deep look into the ruling class. Unfortunately, Xiong’s novel might somewhat difficult to get into for many readers with no experience in Chinese history. Xiong also attempts to utilize dialogue that often comes off as underdeveloped or simplistic.

    Read More

  • Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Essay

    1203 Words  | 5 Pages

    Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, written by Dai Sijie, is set in 1971 during the China’s Cultural Revolution. The book starts with two boys, unnamed narrator and his friend Luo being sent from their hometown Chengdu to a small village in Phoenix Mountain to be “re-educated”. The book continues with them skillfully living through the harsh village life with their talent of storytelling and their western knowledge gained from books. Throughout the novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie illustrates different types of literature and how it transforms the character’s life, action and their personalities in both good and bad way. This book is one unique novel about two boys and one little girl’s transformation by the magical

    Read More

  • Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis

    908 Words  | 4 Pages

    The novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a novel by Dai Sijie set during the Cultural Revolution in China which lasted from 1966 until 1976. Even though the author’s main focus is not opposing Mao’s rule, acts of oppression and the strict control practiced by the government can often be observed in the book. The author focuses on the process of re-education which includes sending urban youth to rural areas. Sijie depicts the mental and physical development of two boys who are being re-educated on the Phoenix Mountain of the Sky. The novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress challenges the concept of re-education and the aspects of the Chinese government by contrasting the Communist ideology to the dynamic character of the narrator, by using symbolism to complement the transformation of the major characters and by including the picaresque story of the Little Seamstress narrated by herself.

    Read More

  • Essay On Ji-Li Jiang's 'Red Scarf Girl'

    1081 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Her actions remind me that, even under unbearable circumstances, one can still believe in justice,” in David Henry Hwang’s foreword, in Ji-Li Jiang’s memoir Red Scarf Girl, commemorated even during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution anyone can overcome adversity (9). Ji-Li Jiang was a young teenager at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, and living through a very political time in China’s history made Ji-Li into the person she is today. Ji-Li’s intelligence, her choices, and family devotion made her into the headstrong and successful person she is today. Even when Ji-li thought she was unintelligent, others saw she was wise. There were many moments when Ji-Li was reminded she was very smart.

    Read More

  • Paradise Of The Blind Food Analysis

    1492 Words  | 6 Pages

    Its influence derives from characters who depend on materialistic values to display prosperity, maintain power and stay healthy. Huong uses the characters’ meals to emphasize the conditions in which different echelons of society are forced to live and to portray the contrast in the character 's’ life styles. The authors first use of this representation is directed towards families who are at the bottom of the hierarchy and the characters financial struggles are illustrated through the quality of their food. For instance, when Chinh becomes ill with diabetes, Que makes great sacrifices in order to provide him with food and medicine throughout his illness. Huong’s oddly detailed description about their rapidly declining food supply provides insight into the harsh living conditions.

    Read More

  • S. Buck's The Good Earth And The Possibility Of Anti-Orientalism

    1841 Words  | 8 Pages

    The novel’s fictional version of China is sometimes an unfairly bleak portrayal of the country, and its most shocking scenes cohere with false Orientalist narratives of Western imperialism and Asian inferiority. However, for an American author, Buck writes with unique authority; few Westerners in her era could match her breadth of knowledge about China, and even fewer could match her dedication to the advancement of cultural empathy with China. Despite the inescapable influences of dominant Orientalist narratives, Buck was able to craft a socially truthful, yet relatable text for Western audiences. Looking back at the outsize impact of The Good Earth, it becomes clear that it defies conventional definitions of Orientalism. Rather than assigning the ‘Orientalist’ label as a veiled accusation of racism and ignorance, scholars should instead recognize that—with the appropriate author intentionality and real-world impact—certain Orientalist works could be culturally acceptable, if not valuable

    Read More

  • Si-Yan In Spilled Water

    1176 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the novel Spilled Water, Si-yan met many hardships and difficulties. Some of these were minor. Others were major. However, at last she managed to overcome them all with the help of other people who she met in her travels. Here we consider what these difficulties were, how she coped with them, who helped her, and what she learned from her difficult experiences.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Min-Zhan Lu's From Silence To Words

    1001 Words  | 5 Pages

    It came to dominate my understanding of the discussion on the social and historical scene and to restrict my ability to participate in that discussion.(444) If we go back and use the reference again of the electronic tool we can see the struggle of being at home and communicating with her family and having an influence of capitalistic viewpoints and living the life of a capitalist, then immediately having to communicate in a different language at school and being surrounded by socialistic views and living the life of a socialist. Her thoughts were constantly flip-flopping and this became very frustrating for her. If we bring all these struggles into one main purpose, Min-Zhan Lu’s mother falls into silence two months before her death and Min-Zhan Lu attempts to “fill up that silence with words that I have since come to by reflecting on my earlier experience as a student in China.(437) The struggles that she faced growing up in China as a student and her past experiences have really helped her overcome life obstacles and develop her as a better reader and writer.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Chinese Seamstress And The Handsomest Drowned Man

    837 Words  | 4 Pages

    Uday Sethi English 10 Monday, October 5, 2015 Comparative Essay A seeking for identity shown through evolution takes place in both “The Chinese Seamstress” and “The Handsomest Drowned man”, seen through the development of characters from narrative stories that help them grow as individuals who live in societies that are isolated and unknown from the rest of the world. The way the narratives impact the characters and society in the two stories help them seek a new identity that could not be discovered without them. The novel “The Chinese Seamstress” is a great way to exemplify development of knowledge and character seen through two major characters, the narrator and the seamstress.

    Read More

  • Adversity In Chinese Cinderella

    988 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people face some kind of adversity in their lives, but only few are recognized to the same extent as Adeline’s experiences in the autobiography ‘Chinese Cinderella’, written by Ms. Adeline Yen Mah. ‘Chinese Cinderella’ suggests that mental strength is what is needed to overcome all forms of adversity in life. This essay will discuss the ways in which that Adeline uses intellectual power to overcome the difficulties in her life, the outcomes she achieved and the messages she portrays. The ways that Adeline uses mental strength to overcome adversity occurs through many different events in her childhood.

    Read More

  • Power Of Literature In The Novel Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress

    728 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress’ explores the transformative power of literature as a central theme. The power of literature is most evident in the character, the little Chinese seamstress. In the first part of the novel, the seamstress hasn’t been exposed to any books in her life. Therefore, her actions and appearances are not influenced by literature.

    Read More

  • Paradise Of The Blind Literary Analysis

    972 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Duong Thu Huong’s Paradise of the Blind, Hang has been placed on a path of self-sacrifice and duty by her family. Her life unfolds in stages- childhood, young adulthood, and her eventual role as an exported worker in Russia. With each of these shifts in her life comes a shift in setting and a shift in her emotional state. Hang’s changing emotional state depicts her “coming of age” and her growth as a character. Setting is important to creation of shift in the novel, and is often described in detail.

    Read More

  • Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis

    1177 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dai Sijie is the Chinese author, who opposites side of the government of China during the Cultural Revolution, which is his childhood that he has to go to be re-educated by poor peasants. The setting of this book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, is the re-education at that time, and the main characters of this book, Luo and Ma, are re-educated students like Sijie. He uses these literary elements to reveal political or social issues about the social class by the education difference, the area of living, and desire to read. In the Sijie’s book, the characters’ traits are used to explore the education difference because the villagers, who live in the Phoenix of Mountain, learn how they survive by farming and mining rather than reading and writing.

    Read More

More about The Good Earth Analysis

Open Document