Detailed Summary of "The Good Earth"

This is knod of cool you know as the notes you took like:Chapter 1


•Wang Lung, who is a poor farmer, lives in a simple and crude house which is made of earth.


•On his marriage day, Wang Lung wakes up early in the morning, using so much of water to clean his body although water is precious for them. He is then scolded by his father when "A wave of anger passed over him at his father"(Buck 9).


•Then, overcome with excitement, he uses plenty of money to hold a feast on his wedding night, pay a barber to shave his face and purchase a pair of incense sticks for the Earth God.


•He also recalls that a poor man will only suitable to a slave as told by his father. His father tells that he will only marry to an unattractive slave rather than a pretty one who most probably loses her virginity to her young lord.


•He then proposes himself to house of Hwang to get a slave from them.


•Wang Kung then gives a silver piece which is left after his purchases reluctantly as a charge for the gate man to lead him within the house.


•After bowing before the Old Mistress who is smoking opium, a slave who is named, O-Lan with common looking is then being called out.


•However, Wang Lung is satisfied to her look as long there are no pock-marks and lip split except for her unbound feet.


•Old mistress tells that they buy O-lan from her parents since she was ten during a famine year. The Old Mistress also mentions that she is a hardworking and a good temper slave who still remains her virginity.


•They then goes to the temple that formed from the earth of the field to burn incense in honor of the Earth God and his lady, O-lan.


•His father then complains about Wang Lung's extravagance by wasting too much money just for the wedding feast to please the others.


•However, he feels everything is worth what he has done because O-lan is adept in preparing the food for the feast.


• He is proud to own the lady when O-lan refuses to show herself in front of other man until the marriage is consummated.



Chapter 2


•The next day morning, Wang wonders if she likes him or not instead of just thinking of his fields and his harvest.


•However, After O-Lan serves him with tea considerately, he is now more affirm to her love to him when he feels a new exultation and says "This woman of mine likes me well enough"(Buck 24).


•Then, O-Lan shows her resourcefulness and dedication. She prepares the food excellently, cleans the house and arranges it neatly, mends their ragged clothes, collects woods to replenish the fuel pile, picks the dropping from animals to fertilize the fields and she even works in the field with Wang Lung feverishly. She did not complain even she has done restlessly the whole day and Wang Lung is extremely proud with her.


•Wang Lung is satisfied with his life although they are poor because he has a skillful and hardworking wife who does everything for them causing him to feel an ease after a day of laboring in the field.


•However the only thing that Wang Lung feels uneasy is her reticent and lack of words. This is proven from the following quote "She was like a faithful, speechless serving-maid, who is only a serving-maid and nothing more". This cause Wang Lung sometimes feels awkward towards her.


•Wang Lung finds that O-lan is pregnant. Wang Lung seems to be surprise while he stands still but his heart is filled with joy. After going back from the field, he shares the good news with his father.

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I learn a lot about what you wrote is you essay thanks.Chapter 1


•Wang Lung, who is a poor farmer, lives in a simple and crude house which is made of earth.


•On his marriage day, Wang Lung wakes up early in the morning, using so much of water to clean his body although water is precious for them. He is then scolded by his father when "A wave of anger passed over him at his father"(Buck 9).


•Then, overcome with excitement, he uses plenty of money to hold a feast on his wedding night, pay a barber to shave his face and purchase a pair of incense sticks for the Earth God.


•He also recalls that a poor man will only suitable to a slave as told by his father. His father tells that he will only marry to an unattractive slave rather than a pretty one who most probably loses her virginity to her young lord.


•He then proposes himself to house of Hwang to get a slave from them.


•Wang Kung then gives a silver piece which is left after his purchases reluctantly as a charge for the gate man to lead him within the house.


•After bowing before the Old Mistress who is smoking opium, a slave who is named, O-Lan with common looking is then being called out.


•However, Wang Lung is satisfied to her look as long there are no pock-marks and lip split except for her unbound feet.


•Old mistress tells that they buy O-lan from her parents since she was ten during a famine year. The Old Mistress also mentions that she is a hardworking and a good temper slave who still remains her virginity.


•They then goes to the temple that formed from the earth of the field to burn incense in honor of the Earth God and his lady, O-lan.


•His father then complains about Wang Lung's extravagance by wasting too much money just for the wedding feast to please the others.


•However, he feels everything is worth what he has done because O-lan is adept in preparing the food for the feast.


• He is proud to own the lady when O-lan refuses to show herself in front of other man until the marriage is consummated.



Chapter 2


•The next day morning, Wang wonders if she likes him or not instead of just thinking of his fields and his harvest.


•However, After O-Lan serves him with tea considerately, he is now more affirm to her love to him when he feels a new exultation and says "This woman of mine likes me well enough"(Buck 24).


•Then, O-Lan shows her resourcefulness and dedication. She prepares the food excellently, cleans the house and arranges it neatly, mends their ragged clothes, collects woods to replenish the fuel pile, picks the dropping from animals to fertilize the fields and she even works in the field with Wang Lung feverishly. She did not complain even she has done restlessly the whole day and Wang Lung is extremely proud with her.


•Wang Lung is satisfied with his life although they are poor because he has a skillful and hardworking wife who does everything for them causing him to feel an ease after a day of laboring in the field.


•However the only thing that Wang Lung feels uneasy is her reticent and lack of words. This is proven from the following quote "She was like a faithful, speechless serving-maid, who is only a serving-maid and nothing more". This cause Wang Lung sometimes feels awkward towards her.


•Wang Lung finds that O-lan is pregnant. Wang Lung seems to be surprise while he stands still but his heart is filled with joy. After going back from the field, he shares the good news with his father.


Analysis


•This chapter begins to develop O-lan's characteristic in more detail by showing her dedication and hardworking. She also shows her intelligence and thrift when she make use of natural resources by collecting the woods to replenish the fuel pile and picking the dropping from animals as fertilizer instead of wasting their money to purchase them.


•Chinese costumes also being revealed in this chapter where O-lan as a woman will stay at home, take care of elder or younger person and also keeps their home clean while Wang Lung as a man works in the field in order to produce foods for his family.


•Besides that, this chapter also shows a connection between the earth and Wang Lung's life as a farmer. This clearly shown when the passage shows "There was only this perfect sympathy of movement, of turning this earth of theirs over and over to the sun, this earth which formed their home and fed their bodies and made their gods."(Buck 27) Their home, the figure of their gods and all the things they eat everyday are all related to earth which have shown in chapter 1. The line "turning this earth of theirs over and over to the sun" shows that there will be climaxes and drops in someone's life. This foreshadows their future.




Chapter 3


•Her labor is approaching, Wang Lung begins to discuss to get someone else to help O-lan during childbirth.


•However, O'lan refuses to get anyone's help include the people from the house of Hwang. She then express her plan to show her child to people from the house only after her childbirth by dressing herself and her new baby well.


•Wang Lung is then impressed by her well plan of this whole thing out of herself when he expresses "How astonishing she was!"(Buck 29).


•She then asks three silver pieces from Wang Lung and promises to waste no penny of it. Wang Lung then gives her four instead of just three so that his child coat will look nicer with small remnant of silk.


•After O- lan goes into his bedroom, Wang lung begins to imagine his silver pieces' connection to the land and he express his first time satisfaction of spending his money on his child.


•In the next evening, she is about to labor, but before giving birth, she takes time to prepare the food for Wang Lung and his father. This amazed Wang Lung that she is so hardy when "He said to himself that she was a woman such as is not commonly found"(Buck 31).


•Few moments later, a baby is born. After knowing that the newborn child is a boy, Wang Lung and his father are proud and they cheer on it.


•After washing up everything, she then allows Wang Lung to go into the room and have a look on their baby. Delirious with excitement, he plans to give all the villagers red eggs as an announcement on their first born son.


•Through this, we learn that O-Lan is a conscientious person. She is very responsible as she does not abide her work as a housewife even she is pregnant. Her capability as Wang Lung's reliable wife is undeniable.



Chapter 4


•Next day afternoon, he goes to the town. He buys fifty eggs, planning to dye them red by using red paper and he also buys a pound of red sugar for his newborn son and his lady. He purchases four sticks of incense and then goes to the small temple to worship.


•After the birth of their first child, O-lan returns to the work in the field. While working, she also takes care of his child and breastfeeds him when hearing his cry.


• The harvest on that time is exceptional as "never were before, and the small, three-roomed house was bursting"(Buck 35).


•Instead of spend their harvest freely, Wang Lung preserve them until the winter and sell it in higher prices so that they can earn more. Besides that, O-lan also salts down their chicken and the leg of pork given by their neighbor.


•When their child is a full month of age, or in other words, month birthday, Wang Lung holds a feast and inviting the villagers to come. He also gives two red eggs each person for those who attended the feast.


•New Year is around the corner, everything must appear as good as new.


• Wang Lung is then gratified by her wife frugal and understanding of making and mending all the shoes and clothes skillfully for her family by herself instead of purchasing them just as what his uncle wife has done. O-lan also intelligently using the mixture of earth and clay to welded the crack of the earthen jar.


•After earning some silver dollars, Wang Lung and his wife now cleverly hide their earning in the wall of their room.




Chapter 5


•As preparation to New Year, Wang Lung purchases squares of the red papers with gilt ink letter on it which represent happiness, riches and luck. He then pasted them all over his house and also on his farm utensils.


•On the other hand, O-lan prepares moon cakes by herself and this make Wang Lung feels proud because no other women in the village is able to do it.


•However, they are not able to taste it as O-lan plans to bring the best moon cakes among them to Old Mistress as a gift when they go to her house to show their first born son while the plain one will leave to the guest to eat.


•On the second day of the New Year, after they well dress themselves with new clothes, they set out their walk to Hwang house.


•When they reached there, they are well served by the gateman who is impressed by their good fortune and their nice dressing.


•Later on, Wang Lung is invited to have a seat in the gateman's house and well served by gateman's wife while waiting his lady to have a visit to the Old Mistress. This show a contrast to the first time when Wang Lung first visit to the house and being mocked by the gateman.


•When he is presented a bowl of tea by gateman's wife, he shows his uninterest as if "it were not good enough in quality of tea leaves for him"(Buck 41).


•Few moments later, the gateman and O-lan carrying her child return. Then, they bid farewell to the gateman and his wife.


•While walking home, O-lan tells Wang Lung the descent of Hwang's family. She tells that all the people inside the house wearing the old clothes including the Old Mistress. She also states that no one in the house has new or nicer clothes when comparing to her and their child's dressing. This makes Wang Lung feels proud of himself.


•When asking why is that happen, O-lan explains that she is being told by a cook that this is the consequences of their extravagant life where the young lords of the house spends the money freely, the Old Lord keeps adding more concubines, the Old mistress is addicted to the costly opium and their third daughter's high –priced dowry and expense.


•Wang Lung is now over joys that his fortune is raising but being a superstitious man, he then shouts out that their misfortune of having an ugly girl baby covers with smallpox and curses her to die in fear of the evil spirits might grab away all his good fortune.


•Then, O-lan tells that Old Mistress has an intention to sell part of their land and Wang Lung become interested by showing his determination of owning the rich and fruitful land instead of his uncle's unproductive land.

Chapter 2


•The next day morning, Wang wonders if she likes him or not instead of just thinking of his fields and his harvest.


•However, After O-Lan serves him with tea considerately, he is now more affirm to her love to him when he feels a new exultation and says "This woman of mine likes me well enough"(Buck 24).


•Then, O-Lan shows her resourcefulness and dedication. She prepares the food excellently, cleans the house and arranges it neatly, mends their ragged clothes, collects woods to replenish the fuel pile, picks the dropping from animals to fertilize the fields and she even works in the field with Wang Lung feverishly. She did not complain even she has done restlessly the whole day and Wang Lung is extremely proud with her.


•Wang Lung is satisfied with his life although they are poor because he has a skillful and hardworking wife who does everything for them causing him to feel an ease after a day of laboring in the field.


•However the only thing that Wang Lung feels uneasy is her reticent and lack of words. This is proven from the following quote "She was like a faithful, speechless serving-maid, who is only a serving-maid and nothing more". This cause Wang Lung sometimes feels awkward towards her.


•Wang Lung finds that O-lan is pregnant. Wang Lung seems to be surprise while he stands still but his heart is filled with joy. After going back from the field, he shares the good news with his father.


Analysis


•This chapter begins to develop O-lan's characteristic in more detail by showing her dedication and hardworking. She also shows her intelligence and thrift when she make use of natural resources by collecting the woods to replenish the fuel pile and picking the dropping from animals as fertilizer instead of wasting their money to purchase them.


•Chinese costumes also being revealed in this chapter where O-lan as a woman will stay at home, take care of elder or younger person and also keeps their home clean while Wang Lung as a man works in the field in order to produce foods for his family.


•Besides that, this chapter also shows a connection between the earth and Wang Lung's life as a farmer. This clearly shown when the passage shows "There was only this perfect sympathy of movement, of turning this earth of theirs over and over to the sun, this earth which formed their home and fed their bodies and made their gods."(Buck 27) Their home, the figure of their gods and all the things they eat everyday are all related to earth which have shown in chapter 1. The line "turning this earth of theirs over and over to the sun" shows that there will be climaxes and drops in someone's life. This foreshadows their future.




Chapter 3


•Her labor is approaching, Wang Lung begins to discuss to get someone else to help O-lan during childbirth.


•However, O'lan refuses to get anyone's help include the people from the house of Hwang. She then express her plan to show her child to people from the house only after her childbirth by dressing herself and her new baby well.


•Wang Lung is then impressed by her well plan of this whole thing out of herself when he expresses "How astonishing she was!"(Buck 29).


•She then asks three silver pieces from Wang Lung and promises to waste no penny of it. Wang Lung then gives her four instead of just three so that his child coat will look nicer with small remnant of silk.


•After O- lan goes into his bedroom, Wang lung begins to imagine his silver pieces' connection to the land and he express his first time satisfaction of spending his money on his child.


•In the next evening, she is about to labor, but before giving birth, she takes time to prepare the food for Wang Lung and his father. This amazed Wang Lung that she is so hardy when "He said to himself that she was a woman such as is not commonly found"(Buck 31).


•Few moments later, a baby is born. After knowing that the newborn child is a boy, Wang Lung and his father are proud and they cheer on it.


•After washing up everything, she then allows Wang Lung to go into the room and have a look on their baby. Delirious with excitement, he plans to give all the villagers red eggs as an announcement on their first born son.


•Through this, we learn that O-Lan is a conscientious person. She is very responsible as she does not abide her work as a housewife even she is pregnant. Her capability as Wang Lung's reliable wife is undeniable.