The good earth chapter 1 summary. The Good Earth: Character List 2022-10-11
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The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck that tells the story of a Chinese farmer named Wang Lung and his family. In chapter 1, we are introduced to Wang Lung and his wife, O-Lan, as they prepare to celebrate the New Year.
Wang Lung is a poor but hardworking farmer who lives in a small village in China. He is happy with his simple life and is content with the little he has. His wife, O-Lan, is a strong and capable woman who helps him with the farm work and takes care of the household.
The chapter begins with Wang Lung waking up early on the morning of the New Year to sweep the courtyard of his house. This is a tradition in his village, as it is believed to bring good luck for the coming year. He then goes to the market to buy food for the celebrations and meets his uncle, who is a wealthy merchant.
Wang Lung's uncle offers to buy him a gift for the New Year, but Wang Lung insists on paying for it himself. He is proud of his independence and does not want to be indebted to his uncle. After returning home, Wang Lung and O-Lan prepare a feast for the celebration. They invite their neighbors and relatives to join them, and everyone has a good time eating and chatting.
As the evening comes to a close, Wang Lung and O-Lan retire to their bedroom, where they discuss their plans for the coming year. Wang Lung is hopeful that the new year will bring good fortune and prosperity to their family. O-Lan, on the other hand, is more practical and reminds Wang Lung of the hard work that lies ahead.
In conclusion, chapter 1 of The Good Earth introduces us to the main characters of the novel and sets the stage for the story to come. We see that Wang Lung is a hardworking and independent farmer who values his family and traditions. O-Lan is a strong and capable woman who helps him with the farm work and takes care of the household. The chapter ends with Wang Lung and O-Lan looking forward to the new year with hope and determination.
The Good Earth Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis
Wang Lung makes no romantic gestures; the purpose of this marriage is his own pleasure and reproduction. Wang Lung steals a rich man's gold. However, she has no pockmarks or a split lip, as he had requested, and he finds comfort in this reassurance. Wang Lung demands to know what happened to Ching, and the laborers tell him that Ching, now an old man, was showing a new laborer how to use a tool correctly and overexerted himself. He is anxious about meeting his new wife, and is very conscious of his appearance. For the first time, Wang Lung makes wealth his explicit goal, though even now, he justifies it with his love of the land. She promises to care for his retarded daughter after his death.
Wang Lung expands his house and hires men to work his lands, putting his neighbor Ching in charge of them. Wang Lung goes into the kitchen in a shed connected to the house, where there is an ox. Wang begins to long for a return to his home and the land. He buys peaches for his new wife. Therefore, she does not allow any of the men to see her.
At the gate, he is gripped with fear. The Old Mistress informs Wang Lung that the family bought O-lan when she was ten; she was purchased during a famine year. Wang Lung walks them to school on the first day and gives the teacher a bundle of eggs. He buys more incense and brings it to the temple in the country, asking the gods for a grandson. He indicates that she should carry the box and the basket, but when she struggles with them, he takes the box himself. Wang, never having been considered a man of wealth, is pleased and rewards the beggar.
Their appearance of prosperity is in stark contrast to Wang's appearance the first time he visited the House. In his old age, Wang Lung takes a young slave, Pear Blossom, as a concubine. Even though Wang Lung works and the others beg, they can do no more than earn enough money to eat. Instead, O-lan sells them all the furniture in the house. She even interrupts her labor in order to prepare the evening meal for Wang Lung and his father. Daily they eat at the public kitchens. One night Wang Lung finds out that during the night of chaos in the south, O-lan found a collection of jewels.
The events of her pregnancy are skipped over, and we soon find O-lan ready to deliver her baby; she asks Wang for nothing except a newly peeled reed, slit, so that she may cut the baby's umbilical cord. They also stop at the temple, where Wang Lung burns incense before the two earthen figures that represent the god of the fields and his lady. She got inspiration from the life of farmer in China. Inevitably, the differences cause a version of dichotomist discourse in which the traditional versus the modern. They make just enough money to eat consistently, but Wang Lung feels like a foreigner in the city.
Wang Lung is distraught. He counts his money to see whether he can afford it. However, when he sees the basket of meats, he reproaches Wang for spending money. The objectives of this study are to find the pragmatic and sociological aspects of the Novel. He and O-lan end the day by consummating their marriage. Education enabled women to have professional work and consciously seek the equality of social status with men and freedom. He allows his family to eat the pork, but will not eat it himself.
Instead, he predicts that it will rain soon, and tells Wang Lung off for spending money in town. She prepares a delicious meal, but does not want to serve the food because she does not wish that other men look upon her. In the sociological aspect, the life of rural people in Chine is somewhat similar with that of in Indonesia. O-lan gives birth to twins shortly thereafter. They are couple and their life is on farm. She plans the wedding feast, and Wang Lung and his father are pleasantly surprised by the delicacy of her food.
Wang Lung looks forward unabashedly to the work his wife will take off his own shoulders. Wang Lung puts some tea leaves in the water, and his father protests that tea is too expensive for this use. Summary: Chapter 10 Carrying his old father on his back, Wang Lung makes his way through the town with his family. Wang Lung is taken to see the Old Mistress, a very intimidating figure. Just as he decides he must sell his daughter to return to his land, a mob forces its way into the wealthy house behind the wall.
