So many people have become concerned with money and reputation that they’ve lost track of what was once truly important to them. Wang Lung is a perfect example of this type of person; he could have been seen as such a modest man with values that would only help him in life, not bring him down. Instead he found money, power, and a high reputation much more rewarding. Yet the truth is, this only lead him astray. Why then do so many people crave this lifestyle? Throughout the novel, The Good Earth, Pearl Buck displays the importance of not being consumed by worldly pleasures, for we naturally long for more, slowly surrendering our contentment.
As a young man Wang Lung found the simplest of things satisfying. He grew up in a modest home with his elderly, poor father. Day after day he worked hard on the fields and the labor of his hands brought such reward. At the end of the day he found contentment in his accomplishments. The land was his only possession and from it he earned silver; though it was a little amount of money, he was pleased. “He took his life from this earth; drop by drop his sweat he wrung food from it and from the food, silver.”(pg.35) Looking among the life we have there seems to always be room for more but the question we face is, do we really need this? Every day of our lives we find things and people to envy. No matter what we have it never seems like enough. At this time in China, Wang Lung found himself very happy with what he was given. Although, he really didn’t know any more than his individual world.
Eventually the doors of his heart unlocked his appetite for more. O’lan was the name of his, soon to be, wife. She was a slave coming from the home of the wealthiest family in the village. It was Wang Lung’s responsibility to pick her up; at this point he was given the opportunity to enter the Great House of Hwang. When he did this he realized for the first time how poor he really was. Even the gate keeper intimidated him—a man of lower class, similar to Wang Lung himself. As he tours the house he takes in the intricate beauty of the details as if to store it away in his mind for eternity. “Now it was as if Heaven had chosen this day to wish him well. Earth would bear fruit.” (pg. 2)
This visit to such a home, made the day of marriage even grander. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder, could his wife ever find comfort in his home? Coming from such a lavish place and stepping down among poor men to bear sons for a man she had never seen in her life. I am certain O’lan found her shelter of less quality than her last, but she coped with the changes and humbly brought no attention to her discomfort or herself. I believe that humility is a sign of great strength in a woman and this is what sustains her.
When Wang Lung had first entered the great house it is said that he was amazed that someone could have such wealth. He began to crave that for himself and dreamed of gaining the respect of the slaves and the gatekeeper. The jealousy and envy creeps in slowly with one simple act. Once he sees such luxury it is in his heart to acquire this life he has seen. He believes he would be so much better off if he lived with such pleasure as that. Though as time goes on he gains land which truly brings him joy, but money could never replace the delight he finds in his earth. “But Wang Lung thought of his land and pondered this way and that, with the sickened heart of deferred hope, how he could get back to it. He belonged to the land and he could not live with any fullness until he felt the land under his feet.” (pg. 87)
Though the land creates such an escape for him, he still had cravings for the life of a rich man. He even begins to look at his wife as if she is not of the human form. Her ugly features and large feet become more noticeable to Wang Lung day after day. He begins to seek the love of another woman, Lotus. She is of nothing he had ever seen before. By changing himself to please her, bearing gifts for her each time they visit, he learns that this still isn’t enough. Slowly he is transforming into the master of the Great House of Hwang. It is sad to see a man so unhappy with the appearance of his own wife that he publicly moves onto a new woman. In this very way he is becoming the evil that he feared all his life. When in the city to the south he was astonished that people could be so cruel as to take this food for the poor to their live stalk. After thinking this, how can he assume taking on another woman is acceptable?
Was Wang Lung blind? Did he not see how badly he was hurting his faithful wife? “’I have borne you sons—I have borne you sons—‘And he was silenced and uneasy and he muttered to himself for he was ashamed before her and so he let her alone. It was true that before the law he had no complaint against his wife, for she had borne him three good sons and they were alive, and there was no excuse for him except his desire.” (pg 196) Though O’lan cries out to him he walks away as if nothing else can be said for this sorry situation. It amazes me that someone can be so uncaring and pay no attention to what tragedy is right in front of their very eyes. This behavior draws attention to the fact that Wang Lung desires more.
Discontentment brings on behaviors such as overspending, secrecy, and disrespect. As Wang Lung becomes more involved with Lotus he reaches the point where he wishes to bring her home with him. To please her he builds a whole new inner court and fills it with luxurious items, far exceeding his financial means. He also allows his eldest son to draw from his pockets to decorate the inner courts of the great House of Hwang. Growing weary, he lost concern for how his money was being spent.
At seven years old Pear Blossom was sold as a slave into Wang Lung’s home. She was of beauty and youth. Many men in the home asked for her for pleasure and marriage but she denied for fear of them. She soon admitted she had an eye for Wang Lung himself. With his evil ways he truly proves he has become a man of greed and lust, making him just like the men he was once feared. Though always lingering in his heart was the value of his first land. “Thus spring wore on again and again and vaguely and more vaguely as these years passed he felt it coming. But still one thing remained to him and it was his love for his land.” (pg 356) After overhearing his sons talking of selling the land after their dear father dies of his old age, Wang Lung discovers the terrible consequence that would bring. Without their land his family is nothing. There food, money, and livelihood comes from the very land in which he began so long ago. If his boys grew up with this land in their midst, why do they long to get rid of such a memory? At this point in time, when Wang Lung is at his weakest point; this is when he realizes the truth. “It is the end of a family—when they begin to sell the land…Out of the land we came and into it we must go—and if you will hold your land you can live –no one can rob you of land…If you sell the land, it is the end.” (pg 360)
Looking back on this passion was revealed on his deathbed. He talks of love for the land and finding peace in this place. Although, it was clear the land truly was within him. Day to day he survived only because of the land. Throughout the book I became less and less fond of this man because of the poor decisions and cruel behavior. In retrospect the whole picture of his life made him the man that he was. He had gone through complete poverty and climbed to the highest of riches; he had gone through trials and through glorious times; he had made wise decisions and he had left scars. Viewing that richness has changed my heart for the man that I know lies deep within him. These simple pleasures rose to the surface and gave him peace. For, he finally discovered that the one thing that lifted him up through all those years was his land. In the novel, The Good Earth, a man is formed through finding himself after learning of the pleasures in life that can tear you apart.
