...Irony in the Good Earth Irony plays a major part in the novel, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Authors often use irony in their writings to show contrast between what is said or what is meant, and what really happens. There are many different examples of irony throughout the book. The displayed irony includes: Wang Lung, money, and sons. These three topics are perfect examples of the use of irony in this novel. When the main character, Wang Lung, first started out in the novel he was a poor farmer awakening to his wedding day. At this point, Wang Lung was very sensible about money and lived in an earthen house on his land. Wang Lung married O-Lan, a slave that lived in the Great House of Hwang. He was treated poorly and unequally by the Great family and he never would have thought he would later come to live in the Great House. Sure enough, his fortune changed and Wang became a rich man and his family became much like the Great family. Wang Lung became slightly careless with his money, but with the persuasion of his sons, he purchased the Great House later on in the novel. “I could sit on that seat where the old one sat and from whence she bade me stand like a serf, and now I could sit there and so call another into my presence” (Buck 288). Truly this is a great rags-to-riches story and this is ironic because once he was a poor farmer looking up at the Great house, and later he owned it. “Now Wang Lung, as this hour drew near stayed more and more in the house in the...
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...Throughout the novel of "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck, no character was more influential than Wang Lung. Wang Lung's story was one of determination, greed, and heartache. Every decision Wang Lung made altered the lives of those around him, for better or worse. Simply put, Wang Lang was a man with two masters, his land and his desire for wealth. And as the saying goes, a man can never serve two masters. From rags to riches, Wang Lung was the eighteenth century Chinese embodiment of the modern American spirit. Born and raised as a poor Chinese farmer, Wang Lang uses hard work, determination, and desire to become one of the richest men in the land. His love for the land is what keeps him morally clean, while also pushing him to become a better worker and a better husband. This is shown when Wang Lung says to his sons "Now, evil, idle sons—sell the land! It is the end of a family—when they begin to sell the land . . . Out of the land we came and into it we must go—and if you will hold your land you can live—no one can rob you of land. . . . If you sell the land, it is the end" (Buck 242)....
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...The Good Earth takes place during the early twentieth century in China. Wang Lung starts out as just another poor Chinese farmer trying to make a living from his small bit of land. He works hard, follows family traditions, worships the small earth gods that he believes control the land, and values his land over everything because his life is so dependent upon it. However, as his fortune changes, readers see more and more of his true character through his actions. By observing Lung, readers understand how easily someone’s beliefs and values can change with their situation. Although flawed, Wang Lung continues to be the character with whom readers identify and sympathize. Throughout the novel, Wang Lung demonstrates both his virtues and his faults. One of his faults is avoiding confrontation. This fault is not as clear to readers until after he has children. Several times throughout the novel Wang Lung’s sons take advantage of this trait. When Wang Lung decides to send his older son to school, the younger one begs and whines until his father gives in and allows him to go as well. His sons are not the only ones who use this...
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...In the book The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck the main character Wang Lung’s greatest value is respect, and slowly changes to family. In the the book He went to the town and bought fifty eggs, then had given ten eggs to people who went to a dinner party with him, two to those who helped him, and one to those who were jealous of the baby. Also In the story when his wife asked him about whether or not to put tea in the hot water he thought to himself about saying something like “yah, it is not like we are poor.” Also in the book he protects his daughter from being sold to slavery. Finally the story says that Wang Lung, after his wife had died, he went to where she spent the most time and started crying. In the beginning we learn about Wang Lung...
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...In The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck there are many complex and delicate relationships, one of them being between Wang Lung, the protagonist, and his youngest son. Throughout the course of the novel, Wang Lung has a difficulty recognizing his son’s true identity. Wang Lung decides that it will be his youngest son that will learn how to work on the land, but he does not take his son’s opinions into account. Wang Lung has a flawed perception of who his son is; he believes that his youngest boy is simply a quiet lad that does not need much attention. This lack of attention is problematic because it causes Wang lung to grow more unaware of his son’s nature. He never bothers to learn who is son truly is. Wang Lung simply accepts the fact that he...
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...Wang Lung’s Character in The Good Earth as a Typical Farmer Image in China Abstract Pearl Buck, who lived in China for almost 40 years, has formed an in-depth understanding of Chinese society and owned a spontaneous emotion toward Chinese people. With a meticulous and direct observation of Chinese farmers, she accurately grasped “earth” as the survival core and cultural root of Chinese farmers. In her masterpiece, The Good Earth, Pearl Buck brings authentic rural life and vivid images of farmer in China to western readers through her unique perspectives. The Good Earth not only changes distorted stereotype Chinese images in the westerners’ mind in 19th century, but also fully demonstrates various Chinese farmer’s characters. This thesis intends to analyze Wang Lung’s behavior and his hidden characters as a typical farmer in China. Through scrutinizing the text content, the author discovers that both merits of traditional Chinese farmer and backward thoughts under the feudal society are embodied in Wang Lung’s character. On the one hand, Wang Lung, industrious and frugal, simple and kind, has a keen attachment to earth. On the other hand, he is feudalistic, timid and conservative with a strong lust to women. Key Words: The Good Earth Wang Lung image of farmer Contents I. Introduction 1 1.1. Summary of The Good Earth 1 1.2. The Significance of The Good Earth 2 1.3. Relevant Studies of The Good Earth 3 II. Wang Lung’s Merits as a...
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...Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth is about a farmer, Wang Lung, who experiences times of poverty and prosperity throughout his life; however, to summarize the book in one sentence is to do a great disservice to it. One of the novel’s recurring themes is that of beauty. The book takes place in China in the late 19th or early 20th century. Time has changed our world in many ways since then. Has time changed the meaning of beauty? Is there a difference in how the Chinese and Americans see beauty? Do we perceive beauty in different ways than the people in the time of The Good Earth? I conclude that the ideals of beauty have changed since the book was written and that modern American society has taken on new views of what it means to be beautiful. Men and women today can use cosmetics as part of a regular beauty routine to achieve certain beauty standards and to increase confidence. Throughout the last century in America, the very meaning of beauty has changed very often: from the Gibson Girl in the early 1900s to the flappers in the 1920s, from the full-figured pin-up girls of the 1940s and the 1950s to the “heroin chic” waifs of the 1990s, what the western world considered beautiful changed with each decade. When one considers beauty, it is now most likely physical appearance that comes to mind. Hilhorst notes, “The view that physical beauty can be conceived of as a value in its own right is, however, a modern thought.” Hilhorst explains in “Physical Beauty: Only Skin Deep...
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...not wait. He sprang up and pushed aside the curtains of his bed. It was a dark, ruddy dawn, and through a small square hole of a window, where the tattered paper fluttered, a glimpse of bronze sky gleamed. He went to the hole and tore the paper away. "It is spring and I do not need this," he muttered. He was ashamed to say aloud that he wished the house to look neat on this day. The hole was barely large enough to admit his hand and he thrust it out to feel of the air. A small soft wind blew gently from the east, a wind mild and murmurous and full of rain. It was a good omen. The fields needed rain for fruition. There would be no rain this day, but within a few days, if this wind continued, there would be water. It was good. Yesterday he had said to his father that if this brazen, glittering sunshine continued, the wheat could not fill in the ear. Now it was as if Heaven had chosen this day to wish him well. Earth would bear fruit. He hurried out into the middle room, drawing on his blue outer trousers as he went, and knotting about the fullness at his waist his girdle of blue cotton cloth. He left his upper body bare until he had heated water to bathe himself. He went into the shed which was the kitchen, leaning against the house, and out of its dusk an ox twisted its head from behind the corner next...
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...people associate with success. Through reading The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, one may find a major theme that is present throughout the novel, is that wealth could erode traditional values. This is proven by Wang Lung’s experiences in the novel, for as he grew in prestige and wealth, his original values, such as his ardent attachment to the land, his...
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...Sek-Lung is a young boy that moved from China to Canada with his family. Sek-Lung’s siblings start to loose their upbringings, but Sek-Lung’s grandma restores faith in him by searching in the trash for special pieces that can be used to make windchimes. His grandma also tells him tales of when one of the actors that lived on her father’s farm loved her and said he would come for her one day. Wayson Choy presents the idea of respecting culture traditions in a new place, through the struggles that Sek-Lung’s family goes through. Sek-Lung’s siblings don’t like the way their family acts and are ashamed of them. Sek-Lung isn’t ashamed of his family in anyway, even though, “My two older teenage brothers and m sister, Liang age 14, were embarrassed by my parent’s behavior” (Choy 201). Now that they live in Canada, the older kids realize that they act weird compared to the social norm. Even Sek-Lung’s parents were embarrassed due to his grandma, “The problem for the rest of the family… Grandmama looked for these treasures wandering the back alleys… into neighbor’s garbage cans” (Choy 203). The entire family (except for Sek-Lung) had a problem with grandmama finding beads and such for her windchimes, which have been a part of her culture since she was a little girl. Liang said, “All of our friends laugh at us” (Choy 203). His siblings are shamed by the fact that they are different from the Canadians, but shouldn’t be, because they have a different culture. Expressing their culture through...
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...The distinguished novel, The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck is critiqued by the New York Times as “A comment upon the meaning and tragedy of life as it is lived in any age in any quarter of the globe.” The book illustrates how a poor farmer named Wang Lung becomes affluent after a few lucky breaks and lots of hard work. This story can be understandable to anyone in the world at any time period. Although some people may be rich, everyone has money problems sometime in their life. In the city, Wang Lung and his family only made enough money to feed his family a bowl of rice the next day. But when Wang Lung becomes prosperous, he didn’t sell his land because he still needs money. If Wang Lung didn’t have income, he would lose money and then have a money crisis like the Hwang family. No matter who you are, you will have money problems sometime in...
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...The Bible says, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited…” (King James Version, Isaiah 45:18). In Christian teaching, God not only created Heavens and Earth, but expressed His delight in His creation. This creation meant, everything encompassing the trees, the rivers and all kinds of elements that go into preserving the environment (Genesis 1:31). Therefore, the destruction of the environment is against God’s will. The main problem in the stewardship model is the fall of mankind into a state of sin and depravity (Genesis 3). As a result of the fall, we are in rebellion against God. We no longer act as the stewards we ought to be regarding the earth and its resources. Therefore, we tend towards exploitation and abuse. In addition, the earth has been cursed as a result of the fall (Romans 8:20; Genesis 3:17-18). Action Institute expressed it this way; “Nature now produces floods, fires, earthquakes, weeds, and crop destroying insects (“A Biblical Perspective on Environmental Stewardship”). This makes proper stewardship even more difficult; we are not only fighting our natural tendency to exploit and abuse, but also fighting against an earth that is cursed (Genesis 3:17). 2. The Earth and Everything in it Belongs to the Lord The earth is God’s creation and man is His steward over His creation. According to the Merriam Web Dictionary...
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...Why do you think Jesus calls us the salt of the Earth? I think Jesus calls us the salt of the Earth because we give season to Earth. Jesus call us the salt of the Earth because we all are the same, his disciples and very parts of him, we are the imitations of Christ living in the land, we have his characteristics but we will be the one who will decide of who and how we will be a salt to Earth. We can be a good salt or a bad salt to the Earth. Salt is defined as preservatives, seasoning and can kill bacteria, just like humans, we can be compared to a salt because we can preserve, purify and flavor Earth according to what we wanted. We are called salt because he wants us to permeate and penetrate every level of society and to season this world for him. God is a shaker, we are the one being shake by him as a salt, are you the one sitting or being shaked? Being shaken by God is the salt who are cooperating, purifying and seasoning the Earth to add important flavor to be better and get better, and to preserve Earth. While the ones who is sitting are the ones who have not he interest on cooperating in shaking of salt for the better. Have you lost your saltiness or are you living as the salt of the Earth? I’m living as the salt of the Earth, how about you? 2. How can you serve as 'salt'? A. In School : I can serve as a salt, as being a good student and do good deeds for my school. As a salt of my school, I will do good things and cooperate on giving it’s saltiness (importance)...
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...reading the Iroquois and Pima creation myths in the book, I have been very intrigued by the Native American beliefs of the creation of the earth. It seems that nearly every tribe has a different belief of how it happened, though some are very similar. The Huron tribe, originally from the St. Lawrence Valley, have a very similar belief of creation as the Iroquois, where the Cherokee tribe had a totally different view than the Pima. The Iroquois and the Huron myths are both in the Earth-Diver category. In this type of myth, animals swim deep to the bottom of the water and bring up dirt in their mouth, forming the earth. Just like the Iroquois, in the Huron myth, a divine woman falls out the sky and is swept up just before hitting water by a hawk. The hawk then calls down in the water for help, for she is too heavy for it to hold by itself. First, a turtle comes out the sea for her to sit on, and then he instructs other animals such as ducks, beavers, and even a muskrat. After the earth is built, the woman gives birth to twins, but soon dies after giving birth to her two sons. The sons in both myths represent good and evil on earth. They were to prepare the earth so that humans could live on it, but they found out that they could not live together. So, they separated, with each one taking their own portion of the earth to prepare. Once older, the good son creates a sun and moon out of the remains of its mother’s body. It continues to create the world, forming vegetation and other useful...
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...environment by recycling. Recycling is good for the environment and saves waste. People argue that recycling is difficult and time consuming. Recycling is easy and takes little time or energy. God commands Christians to take care of the earth and resources. Keywords: recycling, environment, earth, resources. Introduction Recycling is good for the environment. It keeps wasteful products out of landfills. If something can be reused or recycled, it should be. There is really no good reason for anyone not to recycle. Everyone should recycle, including Christians. People need to think about tomorrow and recycle today. Pollution is a threat to our society and our future. Christians are called to take care of mother earth or they will be punished. Today, recycling is easy. People can set their recyclables out with trash for pickup, or take them to a drop off center. There are also many drop off centers located around towns. Recycling reduces pollution Pollution is detrimental to our environment and the earth. Less pollution is generated when items are recycled, than when they are first manufactured. Water and air pollution are decreased by recycling paper. Cars made from recycled aluminum are lighter, get better gas mileage, and lessen air pollution (Weber, paragraph 8). God commands Christians to Recycle God wants people to take care of the earth. The earth provides all necessities for human life. The earth provides, air, water, land, and...
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