The Good Earth
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| The good earth | |
 1st edition |
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| Author | Pearl S. Buck |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Good Earth |
| Translator | Matthew Louie |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | None |
| Genre(s) | Historical fiction |
| Publisher | John Day |
| Publication date | March 2, 1931 |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | East Wind: West Wind |
| Followed by | Sons |
The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1932 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. It is the first book in a trilogy that includes Sons (1932) and A House Divided (1935).
The novel of family life in a Chinese village became a best-seller upon publication and has been a steady favorite ever since. In 2004, the book was returned to the best seller list when chosen by the television host Oprah Winfrey for Oprah's Book Club.[1] The novel described Chinese village culture in detail and helped prepare Americans of the 1930s to consider Chinese as allies in the coming war with Japan. [2]
The 1937 film, The Good Earth, was based on this novel.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The story begins on Wang Lung's wedding day and follows the rise and fall of his fortunes. The House of Hwang, a family of wealthy landowners, lives in the nearby town. As the House of Hwang slowly declines due to opium use, frequent spending, and uncontrolled borrowing, Wang Lung, through his own hard work and the skill of his wife, O-Lan, slowly earns enough to buy land from the Hwang family. O-lan delivers two sons and a girl baby, who becomes mentally handicapped as a result of severe malnutrition brought on by famine. Her father greatly pities her and calls her "Poor Fool," a name by which she is addressed throughout her life. During the devastating famine and drought, the family must flee to the Southern City to find work. Wang Lung's malignant uncle offers to buy his possessions and land, but significantly less than their value. The family sells everything except the land and the house. Wang Lung then faces the long journey south, contemplating how the family will survive walking, when he discovers that the "Fire Wagon", a newly-built train in the village, takes people south for a fee.
While in the city, O-Lan and the children turn to begging while Wang Lung pulls a rickshaw. Wang Lung's father begs but does not earn any money, and sits looking at the city instead. They find themselves aliens among their more metropolitan countrymen who look different and speak in a fast accent. They no longer starve, due to the one-cent charitable meals of rice gruel, but still live in abject poverty. Wang Lung longs to return to his land. When armies approach the city Wang can only work at night hauling merchandise out of fear of being conscripted. When a food riot erupts, a mob breaks into the house of a fat and fearful rich man who offers Wang Lung all of his money in exchange for his life.
Upon returning home, Wang Lung buys an ox, farm tools, and even hires servants to help him work the precious land. Using jewels O-Lan looted from the house in the city, they buy the House of Hwang's remaining land. He is eventually able to send his sons to school and apprentice one as a merchant. As Wang Lung becomes more prosperous, he buys a concubine named Lotus.Wang Lung has sex with Lotus a numerous times. O-Lan dies, but not before witnessing her first son's wedding. Wang Lung and his family move into town and rent the old House of Hwang. Wang Lung, now an old man, wants peace, but there are always disputes, especially between his first and second sons. Wang Lung's third son runs away to become a soldier. At the end of the novel, Wang Lung overhears his sons planning to sell the land and tries to dissuade them. They say that they will do as he wishes, but smile knowingly at each other.
[edit] Characters
- Wang Lung – a poor, hard-working farmer born and raised in a small village of Anhwei. He follows morals and Chinese traditions such as filial piety. Believes the land is the source of happpiness and wealth. He later becomes a very successful man and possess a large land which he bought from the House of Hwang.
- O-lan – first wife, used to be a slave in the house of Hwang. A woman of few words, she is thoughtful, persuasive and wise. She is hardworking and self-sacrificing.
- Wang Lung's Father – desires grandchildren to comfort him in his old age, becomes exceedingly needy and childish as the novel progresses.
- The Poor Fool – first daughter and third child of O-lan and Wang Lung, she starts to grow more mentally retarded as the years go by. Her mental illness was caused from the years of suffering and famine during her childhood, and Wang Lung grows very fond of her.
- Nung En (Eldest Son) – becomes a scholar, is most like the sons of Hwang.
- Nung Wen (Middle Son) – becomes a merchant, is practical and sly. He is frugal and despises his elder brother for giving in to his wife's nagging for riches.
- Eldest Son's Wife – Daughter of a grain merchant and a city woman who hates the middle son's wife. She is brought to the house before O-lan's death and is deemed proper and fit by the dying woman. Her first child is a boy.
- Middle Son's Wife – A gentle woman. Hates the first son's wife. Her first child is a girl.
- Youngest Son – Runs away to become a soldier.
- Youngest Daughter – Twin sister of the youngest son, betrothed to a merchant's son.
- Wang Lung's Uncle – a sly, lazy man who highly ranked in a band of thieves and a burden to Wang Lung; becomes addicted to opium
- Uncle's Wife – becomes a friend of Lotus; also becomes addicted to opium
- Uncle's Son - Wild and lazy, leads Nung En into trouble and leaves to become a soldier.
- Ching – Wang Lung's faithful friend and neighbor. Dies and is buried near the entrance to the family graveyard.
- Lotus – Much-spoiled concubine and former prostitute. Eventually becomes fat. Helps arrange the eldest son's wife's and youngest daughter's wedding.
- Cuckoo - Formerly a slave in the house of Hwang. Becomes Madame of the tea house, eventually becomes servant to Lotus. Hated by O-lan because she was cruel to her in the Hwang House.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes |
Pulitzer Prize for the Novel 1932 |
Succeeded by The Store by Thomas Sigismund Stribling |
[edit] References
- ^ The Good Earth at Oprah's Book Club website
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/books/review/05meyer.html?pagewanted=print
