The Good Earth
Elaina Samelo
5th Block
Ritzus
The Good Earth
The Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck, is a book about the political and social struggles of China. Since this book was published in 1931, the somewhat old-fashioned style of writing reveals the era of which it was written. Although it is apparent through the writing that this book is a little older, it has a charm that only older books can possess. It is one of the things that actually kept my attention; the old-fashioned charm. The publishing company that supported this book was A Washington Square Press Publication of POCKET BOOKS. Although the story of Lu Wang and his life is one of fiction, it is more specifically realistic fiction. These events could happen in real life. My interpretation of the theme is that it encourages hard work. Lu Wang worked faithfully for many, many years. He had incredible good fortune, and that will not happen to everyone. But, through the words of Pearl S. Buck, it is apparent to me that hard work was a theme. Looking past this one book, Buck seems to have developed a Chinese theme throughout her many works. This is not surprising, for she lived much of her life in China. Her books East Wind: West Wind, Imperial Women, Pavilion of Women, Letter from Peking, and more all have reoccurring Chinese themes. This book overall was about a man, and his climb to success. This Chinese man’s name was Wang Lung. At the beginning of the book, Wang Lung was a poor farmer preparing to be wed to a slave of the Great House of Hwang. He had next to nothing to offer, but left the house with a wife by the name of O-Lan. She was a great wife. Together, they had many healthy children, and overcame many challenges. Apart from the theme of hard work, I also noticed the economic hardships that Wang Lung and his wife had to endure. At this time, the thing that most showed one’s worth was the owning of land. Once Wang Lung had worked his pre-existing land to its end, he used his money
5th Block
Ritzus
The Good Earth
The Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck, is a book about the political and social struggles of China. Since this book was published in 1931, the somewhat old-fashioned style of writing reveals the era of which it was written. Although it is apparent through the writing that this book is a little older, it has a charm that only older books can possess. It is one of the things that actually kept my attention; the old-fashioned charm. The publishing company that supported this book was A Washington Square Press Publication of POCKET BOOKS. Although the story of Lu Wang and his life is one of fiction, it is more specifically realistic fiction. These events could happen in real life. My interpretation of the theme is that it encourages hard work. Lu Wang worked faithfully for many, many years. He had incredible good fortune, and that will not happen to everyone. But, through the words of Pearl S. Buck, it is apparent to me that hard work was a theme. Looking past this one book, Buck seems to have developed a Chinese theme throughout her many works. This is not surprising, for she lived much of her life in China. Her books East Wind: West Wind, Imperial Women, Pavilion of Women, Letter from Peking, and more all have reoccurring Chinese themes. This book overall was about a man, and his climb to success. This Chinese man’s name was Wang Lung. At the beginning of the book, Wang Lung was a poor farmer preparing to be wed to a slave of the Great House of Hwang. He had next to nothing to offer, but left the house with a wife by the name of O-Lan. She was a great wife. Together, they had many healthy children, and overcame many challenges. Apart from the theme of hard work, I also noticed the economic hardships that Wang Lung and his wife had to endure. At this time, the thing that most showed one’s worth was the owning of land. Once Wang Lung had worked his pre-existing land to its end, he used his money