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Description edit
"I can only write what I know, and I know nothing but China, having always lived there," wrote Pearl Buck. In The Good Earth she presents a graphic view of a China when the last emperor reigned and the vast political and social upheavals of the twentieth century were but distant rumblings for... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Set in the China of a century ago and told with elegant simplicity, it follows a rural family's rise from poverty to wealth. But this is by no means a triumphant rags-to-riches saga. Insightful and cleverly nuanced, the book explores the moral compromises of success, foreshadowing the recent... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Wang Lung: main character-farmer
- O-Lan: Wang Lung's first wife, a former slave in the House of Hwang
- old man: Wang Lung's unnamed father
- Nung En: Wang Lung's firstborn son
- Nung Wen: Wang Lung's secondborn son
- the poor fool: Wang Lung's third child, an unnamed daughter who has a mental disability
- the third son: Wang Lung's third and youngest son
- the second daughter: Wang Lung's second daughter, twin to his third son
- Uncle: Wang Lung's lazy, idle uncle
- Uncle's wife: Wang Lung's uncle's wife who is unnamed
- Cousin: Wang Lung's uncle's son, lazy and idle like his father
- Lotus: Wang Lung's concubine
- Cuckoo: A clever slave from the House of Hwang who later runs the House of Flowers
- Ching: Faithful friend and neighbor of Wang Lung.
- Liu: Grain merchant whose daughter gets married to Wang Lung's oldest son
- Hwang: Family that held much money and power before the famine.
- Pear Blossom: A young slave who serves Lotus
Quotes edit
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“When the rich are too rich there are ways, and when the poor are too poor there are ways.”
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“I am always glad when any of my books can be put into an inexpensive edition, because I like to think that any people who might wish to read them can do so. Surely books ought to be within the reach of everybody.”
Pearl S. Buck -
“It did not do in this life to be too fortunate.”
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“But men must work on.”
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“"If you sell the land, it is the end."”
Wang Lung -
“"Why are you wasteful? Tea is like eating silver."”
Wang Lung's father
First Sentence edit
It was Wang Lung's marriage day.
Table of Contents edit
There are 34 chapters without names.
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Man’s Relationship to the Earth: Describe this theme.
- Wealth as a Destroyer of Traditional Values
- The Oppression of Women in Chinese Culture
- Birth, Death, and the Cycle of Nature
- Religion
- Foot-binding
- The House of Hwang
- O-lan’s Pearls
- Beauty
- Man's Connection to Earth
- Communist/Capitalist Political Systems
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 6 in The Good Earth Trilogy. (standard series)
Followed by Sons.
This book is in Readers Digest Press. (edition-based publisher list)
This is book 1 of 10 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels in 1931. (authoritative list)
Followed by Shadows on the Rock.
This is book 55 of 70 in Oprah's Book Club. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Anna Karenina, and followed by As I Lay Dying.
This is book 1932 of 83 in Pulitzer Prize Winners - Fiction. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Years of Grace, and followed by The Store.
This book is in Book Lover's Cook Book, The. (authoritative list)
This is book 33 of 214 in Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
Preceded by The Call of the Wild, and followed by The World According to Garp.
This book is in Books to Read in 2011. (community list)
This is book 1 of 10 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels in 1932. (authoritative list)
Followed by The Fountain.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Pearl S. Buck (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: The John Day Company
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1931
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 375
Publisher: The John Day Company
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1931
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 375
Awards edit
- Nobel Prize in Literature (1938)
- Pulitzer Prize (1932: Novel)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 813.52
Subjects edit
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