Good Earth
Joey Jordan
Good Earth
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck is about a farmer named Wang Lung who goes from rags to riches. He is able to become rich from his hardworking, loyal wife named O-lan. They both work hard on the land becoming very dependent on it and Buck personifies the land, which Wang Lung owns. Personification is useful in that it shows Wang Lung’s dependency on the land to find food, money, and family connections. With personification of the land, it helps enhance the novel for the reader to better understand how much the land meant to Wang Lung. First, personification is useful in that it shows Wang Lung’s dependency on the land to find food. Wang Lung has many good harvests and he sells them at the market until the drought. Not only do people steal during the drought, but his aunt and uncle eat their children to survive. To make matters worse, Wang Lung’s family is suffering from starvation without the land producing any food. As time goes on, Wang Lung’s uncle comes to his house attempting to make Wang Lung sell his land. The money he would receive if he sold the land would make him able to get food to feed his family, but it wouldn’t be worth it because it wouldn’t last them much longer. Therefore, O-lan says, “The land we will not sell surely” (Buck 92). Instead, they go south where there is food and when they come back to the farm Wang Lung’s harvests are even richer than before. Next, personification is useful in that it shows Wang Lung’s dependency on the land to find money. In the novel it says, “Wang Lung in this good year had a handful of silver dollars…” (Buck 46). With Wang Lung making more money than needed, he is able to buy land from the House of Hwang. Although the drought makes him go south, when he returns he is able to buy more land with the jewelry O-lan stole. By purchasing land it makes him even richer, and able to buy all the things he needs. Towards the end of the story, which at this time Wang Lung
Good Earth
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck is about a farmer named Wang Lung who goes from rags to riches. He is able to become rich from his hardworking, loyal wife named O-lan. They both work hard on the land becoming very dependent on it and Buck personifies the land, which Wang Lung owns. Personification is useful in that it shows Wang Lung’s dependency on the land to find food, money, and family connections. With personification of the land, it helps enhance the novel for the reader to better understand how much the land meant to Wang Lung. First, personification is useful in that it shows Wang Lung’s dependency on the land to find food. Wang Lung has many good harvests and he sells them at the market until the drought. Not only do people steal during the drought, but his aunt and uncle eat their children to survive. To make matters worse, Wang Lung’s family is suffering from starvation without the land producing any food. As time goes on, Wang Lung’s uncle comes to his house attempting to make Wang Lung sell his land. The money he would receive if he sold the land would make him able to get food to feed his family, but it wouldn’t be worth it because it wouldn’t last them much longer. Therefore, O-lan says, “The land we will not sell surely” (Buck 92). Instead, they go south where there is food and when they come back to the farm Wang Lung’s harvests are even richer than before. Next, personification is useful in that it shows Wang Lung’s dependency on the land to find money. In the novel it says, “Wang Lung in this good year had a handful of silver dollars…” (Buck 46). With Wang Lung making more money than needed, he is able to buy land from the House of Hwang. Although the drought makes him go south, when he returns he is able to buy more land with the jewelry O-lan stole. By purchasing land it makes him even richer, and able to buy all the things he needs. Towards the end of the story, which at this time Wang Lung