The Good Earth by

Pearl S. Buck (1931)

MRS. HALSTEAD
 Introduction
Aim:To what extent does Chinese culture
compare and contrast with some of our
customs and traditions?
Do Now: As the novel opens, Wang Lungs
sense of gender roles is clear as he prepares for
the arrival of his bride. Make a list of household
duties that you feel are female responsibilities
and those that you consider male
responsibilities. Why do you think certain roles
are gender-specific?
Homework: Complete the vocabulary
definitions.
 About the author
Pearl S. Buck
Buck was born in West Virginia, but
spent much of her childhood in
China with her parents, who did
missionary work there
After college in America, Buck
married and moved to China
Buck and her husband lived in
Suzhou, Anhui Province, a small
town on the Huai River
 About the author
Pearl S. Buck
These years spent in Suzhou, a
poor and rural area, served as the
basis for the impoverished area
and lifestyle described in The Good
Earth
Tried to create a faithful
representation of the Chinese
people
 Setting
China, late 1890s/early 1900s
1st and 3rd parts of the book are
set in small, rural areas
Middle part of the book is set in
large city very worldly
 Chinese
Customs/Traditions
The color red
Foot-binding
Women and their families took pride in small,
perfectly shaped feet
Appealingto men for beauty and the sociological
symbol and restrictions this put on women
Religious practices/spirit world
Luck, karma
Family structure
Culture biased towards male children
 Foot binding
Foot binding was a
cultural practice. It is not
about looking good, but
often interpreted this way.
Think about what women
do in our society to be
accepted or to show
status
Think about what we
do
Cosmetic surgery
Skin care and make-up
Body piercing
Tanning
Teeth Whitening
Tweezing, Waxing
Contacts/Laser Eye Surgery
 Origins
Believed to have begun during
the TANG DYNASTY
Social status
Ironically, the women
(grandmothers and mothers)
were the ones to FORCE their
family members to have their
feet bound.
 Facts
Girlsusually BEGAN this process around
six or seven years old. The ENTIRE
process lasted about two years.
Lotus=tiny foot
Mothers would often hire someone to bind
their daughters feet, because it was too
upsetting.
Officially
abolished in 1949 (with
Communism)
Bound Feet
 Before and After
Notice the
shape of the
foot before
and after the
foot binding
process.
 Main characters
Wang Lung protagonist, a poor
farmer living alone with his father
O-Lan Wang Lungs wife (former
servant in the House of Hwang)
Wang Lungs relatives: father,
uncle, cousin
Children
 Essential Questions
How should we treat our families?
Is productivity a component of contentment?
What are the repercussions of
excessive greed?
How do the values and traditions of the past
conflict with modern values?
What role does the earth/land play in the lives of
the characters? Why is it such an important motif
in the novel at every step of the way?

***What is the theme/message the author is trying

to convey about the above subjects?***
 Motifs to note
*Motif = a reoccurring subject, image, or idea
used purposefully by the author

Pay attention to the situations and characters

that relate to the following ideas:

tradition
family/respect for elders
loyalty/disloyalty
the effects of wealth/poverty
the earth/the land
color red
 Chapter 1
Aim:To what extent can Wang Lungs
marriage day be compared to Nathan
and Rukus wedding day? (Venn)
DoNow: Recall Nathan and Rukus
wedding day?
Homework: Finish reading chapter 1
and 2 and complete the corresponding
questions.
 Chapter 3
Aim: To what extent is the role of women and
marriage developed? (Expectations of females
chart)
Do Now: O-lan stands submissively as the Ancient
Mistress relieves her of her duties and describes her
as a good slave, although somewhat slow and
stupid, as well as commenting on her lack of
beauty. Imagine you are Olan. Write a diary entry
revealing how you feel about how the Ancient
Mistress has described you.
Homework: Read chapter 4 and 5 and answer the
corresponding questions.
 Social Class
SHI GENTRY SCHOLARS
NONG PEASANT FARMERS
GONG ARTISANS AND
CRAFTSMEN
SHANG MERCHANTS AND
TRADERS
 The Queue
This is an
example of what
Wangs hair would
look like. The
men would wear
the long braid as
a sign of loyalty
to the ruling
family.
 A Qing Barber
This scene would
be similar to
Wangs
experience when
he was preparing
for his wedding
day by visiting the
local barber.
 Dowager Empress

This is
reminiscent
of the
Ancient
One.
 Chapters 4, 5, and 6
Aim: To what extent is the portrayal of
prosperity important in Wang Lungs
society?
Do Now: As the new year approaches,
Wang Lung decorates the house with red
paper as a symbol of prosperity and good
luck. Write a paragraph about how you feel
the perfect New Year should be celebrated.
Homework: Read chapter 7 and answer
questions 6 and 7 and prepare for Socratic
Seminar.
Socratic Seminar Chapter
7
Aim: To what extent are cultural beliefs,
traditions, and the expectations of women
present in the text?
Do Now: Frustrated, Wang Lung openly
criticizes his uncle, for which he is slapped
and reminded of the custom against
correcting his elders. Do you agree with
this custom? Relate an incident when
correcting an elder could have proven
beneficial, either from real life, a book, or
a movie.
 Rags to Riches?
How are Wang-Lungs humble
beginnings similar to Rukus?
Why do you think there are these
similarities, considering that they
are of different cultures? Will he
always be humble?
How is the House of Hwang a
symbol?
Superstitions and Cultural
Beliefs
Red candle, eggs, and
clothing for the newborns
Not speaking out loud of
good fortune
Burning incense at an altar
for good crops, etc.
 Roles in Society
O-lan walks behind Wang-Lung.
Wang-Lungs father will not
acknowledge O-lans arrival
because it is beneath him.
O-lan takes care of her father-in-
law.
Wang-Lung is responsible for
taking care of his uncle times of
need.
 Irony
Wang-Lung is so nervous about
entering the House of Hwang
and overcome with what it
stands for, meanwhile he
ends-up buying it.
O-lan has a lot more power than
Wang-Lung would like to admit.
 Flat Characters
two-dimensionalin that they are
relatively uncomplicated and do not
change throughout the course of a
work.
Bycontrast, roundcharactersare
complex and undergo development,
sometimes sufficiently to surprise the
reader
Flat Characters
The Grumpy Old Man (Wang-
Lungs Father)
The Insidious, Money-Grubbing
Family Member (The Uncle)
The Opium Addicted Chinese
Aristocrat (The Ancient One
from The House of Hwang)
 Chapter 8
Aim:To what extent does conflict
develop the central idea of misfortune?
Do Now: When Wang Lungs third child,
a daughter, is born O-lan says she is not
worth mentioning and Wang Lung sees
the birth as an evil omen. How do
these statements affect you? Why do
you think girls carry low social value in
China, even today?
Homework: Read chapter 9 and answer
the questions for chapter 8 and 9.
External Conflicts

Political and Social

Conflicts Conflicts against Nature
Class System Famine
Slavery
Arranged
Marriages
Vulnerability to
Foreign Powers
Footbinding
 Chapter 10
Aim:
To what extent do O-lan and
Wang contrast?
Do Now: O-lan kills her fourth
child, a girl, moments after she is
born. Write a letter to O-lan and
give her some advice.
Homework: Read chapter 11 and
answer the chapter 10 and 11
questions.
 Chapter 12
Aim: To what extent does the
change in setting emphasize
Wangs values?
Do Now: Review homework
questions.
Homework: Read chapter 13
and complete the
corresponding questions.
 Chapter 14
Aim: To what extent is conflict
being developed?
Do Now: Review homework
questions.
Homework: Complete Chapter
14 Questions and vocabulary
fill-ins.
External Conflicts

Political and Social

Conflicts Conflicts against Nature
Class System Famine
Slavery
Arranged
Marriages
Vulnerability to
Foreign Powers
Footbinding
 Chapter 15
Aim: To what extent is both
loyalty and disloyalty being
developed?
Do Now: Review Vocab fill-ins
and questions
Homework: Read Chapter 16
and answer questions for
chapters 15 and 16.
 Chapter 17
Aim:To what extent are Wang Lungs
values developed?
Do Now: Select one or more of Wang
Lungs children for Wang Lung to
write a letter to. In the letter(s), have
Wang Lung express the different
regrets he feels about the child(ren).
Homework: Read chapter 18 for
homework and complete the
questions for chapter 17 and 18.
Themes
Allegiance to family and friends
The permanence of the land
The struggle to preserve tradition
The
compassion and cruelty of
human nature
Womens quiet power
The cyclical nature of life
Social change in rural china
 Chapter 19
Aim: To what extent has
Wangs character transformed?
Do Now: Review the
homework.
Homework: Read Chapter 20
and answer questions for
chapters 19 and 20.
 Chapter 21
Aim: To what extent does the
contrast between O-lan and Lotus
develop Wangs character?
Do Now: Parts of speech in
packet.
Homework: Read Chapter 22
and answer questions for
chapters 21 and 22.
 Chapter 23
Aim: To what extent are Bucks
views of filial piety evident
within the novel? (paragraph)
Do Now: Review questions from
last night.
Homework: Finish questions
for chapter 23.
 Chapter 24
Aim: To what extent does this
connect to what Wangs father
says about women in chapter 1?
Do Now: Reread pages 8 what are
your thoughts. Is this
foreshadowing anything?
Homework: Answer questions
for chapter 24.
 Chapter 25
Aim: To what extent does Wang
change his feelings toward O-lan?
Do Now: Discuss a time where
you or someone you know did not
appreciate something in their
lives.
Homework: Complete chapter
25 questions in your packet.
 Chapter 26
Aim: To what extent is O-lans
character further developed through
this life-changing event?
Do Now: Compare and contrast O-lan
and Wangs marriage to Ruku and
Nathans marriage. Was either
relationship love?
Homework: Finish reading chapter
26 and answer the questions.
 Chapter 27
Aim: To what extent can O-lans death be viewed
as a bad omen?
Do Now: As O-lan dies, she bemoans the lack of
beauty and says she is too ugly to be loved. Wang
Lung feels guilty, but still cannot love her as he did
Lotus. Neither woman can control destiny. Lotus
was an orphan and had been sold into prostitution
because she was beautiful, and O-lan had been
sold as a kitchen slave because she was plain. For
whom do you feel sympathy? Why?
Homework: Finish chapter 27 and complete the
questions.