The Good Earth (SparkNotes Literature Guide)
By SparkNotes
()
About this ebook
Making the reading experience fun!
Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster. Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides: chapter-by-chapter analysis
explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols
a review quiz and essay topics
Lively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers.
Read more from Spark Notes
Bird by Bird (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Much Ado About Nothing (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKing Lear: No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tempest (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Romeo and Juliet: No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Macbeth: No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5As You Like It (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Richard III (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Atlas Shrugged SparkNotes Literature Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Outsiders (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Fear Shakespeare: Julius Caesar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Measure for Measure (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Merchant of Venice: No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Henry V (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Years of Solitude (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTempest: No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dune (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Raisin in the Sun (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Winter's Tale (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Merchant of Venice (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Where the Red Fern Grows (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Kill a Mockingbird SparkNotes Literature Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings1984 SparkNotes Literature Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Two Gentlemen of Verona (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComedy of Errors (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Othello (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Henry IV Parts One and Two (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Julius Caesar: No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Good Earth (SparkNotes Literature Guide)
Related ebooks
Mob Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCamping and Tramping with Roosevelt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSquirrels and Other Fur-Bearers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn God's Garden: Stories of the Saints for Little Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Country of the Pointed Firs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvangeline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Old-Fashioned Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Pima Remembers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Canadian Girl in South Africa: A Teacher's Experiences in the South African War, 1899–1902 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle of the Books Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life And Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poetry of Celia Thaxter - Volume I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Newcomes by William Makepeace Thackeray (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Extraordinary Suzy Wright: A Colonial Woman on the Frontier Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Importance of a Piece of Paper: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHonoring Anna: Book Ii: the Winds of Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Astronomers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIndian Legends of the Pacific Northwest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales, for Girls and Boys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anna Karenina: 2 Translations in One Volume (Including Biographies of the Author) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSacred Mundane: How to Find Freedom, Purpose, and Joy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last of the Peterkins, with Others of Their Kin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rootabaga Stories (Illustrated Edition): Crazy Funny Tales for Little Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Friend Julia: A Sesame Street ® Book about Autism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsParenting in the Dark: Letting Go of Shame While Holding on to Hope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRip Van Winkle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wars of Heaven Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Book Notes For You
Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill: Conversation Starters Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Summary of The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 AM Club Summary: Business Book Summaries Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab: Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gavin de Becker’s The Gift of Fear Survival Signals That Protect Us From Violence | Summary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor: Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summary of 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Ichiro Kishimi's and Fumitake Koga's book: The Courage to Be Disliked: Summary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker: Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorkbook & Summary of Becoming Supernatural How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon by Joe Dispenza: Workbooks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy: Conversation Starters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SUMMARY Of The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in Healthy Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Untamed by Glennon Doyle: Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Good Energy by Casey Means:The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of The Creative Act: A Way of Being | A Guide To Rick Rubin's Book Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides: Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summary: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Workbook for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counter intuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Good Earth (SparkNotes Literature Guide)
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Good Earth (SparkNotes Literature Guide) - SparkNotes
The Good Earth
Pearl S. Buck
© 2003, 2007 by Spark Publishing
This Spark Publishing edition 2014 by SparkNotes LLC, an Affiliate of Barnes & Noble
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
Sparknotes is a registered trademark of SparkNotes LLC
Spark Publishing
A Division of Barnes & Noble
120 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
www.sparknotes.com /
ISBN-13: 978-1-4114-7531-1
Please submit changes or report errors to www.sparknotes.com/.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Context
Plot Overview
Character List
Analysis of Major Characters
Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Chapter 1
Chapters 2-4
Chapters 5-6
Chapters 7-9
Chapters 10-13
Chapters 14-16
Chapters 17-19
Chapters 20-22
Chapters 23-25
Chapters 26-27
Chapters 28-34
Important Quotations Explained
Key Facts
Study Questions
The Literary Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide
Suggested Essay Topics
A+ Student Essay
Glossary of Literary Terms
A Note on Plagiarism
Review & Resources
Context
P
earl S. Buck was born in 1892
in Hillsboro, West Virginia, to Absalom and Carie Sydenstricker, two Christian missionaries. When Buck was three months old, her parents took her with them on a mission to China, where they spent most of the next forty years. Buck grew up playing with Chinese children, who referred to her as a foreign devil.
Although contempt of the Chinese was common among the families of Western Christian missionaries, Buck never developed that sense of superiority. Since Buck grew up in China, she was able to objectively recognize the absurdities of missionary work. Buck’s objectivity is evident in her portrayal of Western missionaries in The Good Earth.
Buck returned to the United States to attend Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she did well academically and achieved some measure of popularity. However, the country of her birth was largely unfamiliar to her, and she felt like a foreigner. After graduating, she returned to China to take care of her ailing mother. In
1917
, she married John Lossing Buck, an agricultural economist and graduate of Cornell. Her first and only biological child, Carol, was born in
1921
. Due to a uterine tumor discovered during the delivery, Buck had to undergo a hysterectomy. Soon after, Buck discovered that her daughter was severely retarded. Almost at the same time, Buck’s mother died after a long illness. These misfortunes placed a great deal of strain on Buck’s marriage. She divorced her husband in
1935
and married a man named Richard J. Walsh later the same year.
In
1931
, Buck published The Good Earth, her second and best-known book. The novel, a complex moral parable that draws heavily on Buck’s firsthand knowledge of Chinese culture, quickly gained an international reputation and won the Pulitzer Prize in
1932
. Over the next few years, Buck wrote two sequels, Sons and A House Divided, but neither was as popular as The Good Earth. Buck also wrote biographies of her parents. Buck was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in
1938
, mainly in recognition of these biographies and The Good Earth.
Throughout her life, Buck devoted herself to humanitarian causes. She fought constantly on behalf of women’s rights. With her husband, Richard Walsh, she founded an adoption agency for children of mixed Asian and American parentage. These children were often outcasts in Asian countries because of their mixed blood and because they were often the out-of-wedlock offspring of American servicemen. Buck also took an active interest in issues as diverse as the lives of immigrants in New York City and the independence movement in India. In addition to these various causes, she was a staunch supporter of free speech and civil liberties. Buck died in
1973
after a long and active life as an activist, a humanitarian, and a writer.
Plot Overview
W
ang Lung is a poor young farmer
in rural, turn-of-the-century China. During the time in which the novel takes place, Chinese society is showing signs of modernization while remaining deeply connected to ancient traditions and customs. When Wang Lung reaches a marriageable age, his father approaches the powerful local Hwang family to ask if they have a spare slave who could marry his son. The Hwangs agree to sell Wang a
20
-year-old slave named O-lan, who becomes his wife. O-lan and Wang Lung are pleased with each other, although they exchange few words and although Wang is initially disappointed that O-lan does not have bound feet.
Together, Wang Lung and O-lan cultivate a bountiful and profitable harvest from their land. O-lan becomes pregnant, and Wang Lung is overjoyed when O-lan’s first child is a son. Meanwhile, the powerful Hwang family lives decadently—the husband is obsessed with women, and the wife is an opium addict. Because of their costly habits, the Hwangs fall on hard times, and Wang Lung is able to purchase a piece of their fertile rice land. He enjoys another profitable harvest, and O-lan gives birth to another son. Wang Lung’s new wealth catches the attention of his greedy, lazy uncle. Custom dictates that Wang Lung must show the utmost respect to members of the older generation, especially relatives, so he is forced to loan his uncle money despite knowing that the money will be wasted on drinking and gambling. The Hwang family’s finances continue to falter, and the Hwangs sell another tract of land to Wang Lung.
After O-lan gives birth to a daughter, a terrible famine settles on the land. In the midst of this crisis, O-lan gives birth to another daughter. She strangles the second girl because there is not enough food to feed the baby and the rest of the family. Wang Lung is forced to take his family to a southern city for the winter. There, O-lan and the children beg while Wang Lung earns money by transporting people in a rented rickshaw. They earn just enough money to eat. Wang Lung begins to despair of ever making enough money to return to his land. He and O-lan briefly consider selling their surviving daughter as a slave. Eventually, a group of poor and desperate people ransacks a rich man’s home, and Wang Lung and O-lan join them. Wang Lung steals a pile of gold coins. With this new wealth, he moves the family back home and purchases a new ox and some seeds. O-lan had stolen some jewels during the looting. Wang Lung allows her to keep two small pearls, but he takes the rest and hurries to buy three hundred acres of Old Master Hwang’s land. O-lan gives birth to twins shortly thereafter. The couple realizes that their oldest daughter is severely retarded, but Wang Lung loves the child dearly.
Wang Lung hires laborers to plant and harvest his land. He enjoys several years of profitable harvests and becomes a rich man. When a flood forces him to be idle, he begins to feel restless and bored. He finds fault with O-lan’s appearance and cruelly criticizes her for having big feet. He becomes obsessed with Lotus, a beautiful, delicate prostitute with bound feet. Eventually, he purchases Lotus to be his concubine. When O-lan becomes terminally ill, Wang Lung regrets his cruel words and comes to appreciate everything his wife has done for him. Meanwhile, to lessen