The Good Earth

By Pearl S. Buck

Pearl S. Buck

June 26, 1892 – March 6, 1973

Pulitzer Prize winner

Nobel Prize winner in literatureFirst American woman to win this award

Born in Hillsboro, West VirginiaParents were Presbyterian missionaries

Family was stationed mostly in ChinaThis is how Buck came to know China so well

Pearl S. Buck (cont.)

Married John Buck in 1917They resided in Suzhou, Anhui Province

This is the region mostly described in The Good Earth – the book describes some of her own experiences as well

Died of lung cancer in Danby, VermontDesigned her own tombstone

Her name was not written in English on the tombstone – Chinese characters used instead

The Good Earth

Published in 1931

Awarded Pulitzer Prize for novels in 1932

Awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1938

First book in a trilogySons (1932) – A House Divided (1935)

Shows family life in a Chinese village

Film version made in 1937

Helped prepare Americans to see Chinese as allies in 1930s war with Japan

The Good Earth Characters

Wang Lung – poor, hard working farmer

O-lan – Wang Lung’s obedient wife

Wang Lung’s Father – needy, looked upon as a respected elder

Wang Lung’s Uncle – Sly, untrustworthy

Wang Lung’s Sons – cause WL grief

The Poor Fool – WL’s daughter who has a cognitive impairment

Important ideas to think about…

The Earth – how is this important?Where does faith / Catholicism show up within the novel?Is this book relevant today? Is it applicable to today’s world?What writing conventions are used to convey the story?At what point do we see the ‘beast’ released within Wang Lung?