The Good Earth

5-24-11
The Good Earth is a tragic novel. In the beginning, Wang Lung just wanted to be normal and the only problems on his mind were getting a wife and a good harvest. However, by the end of the novel, Wang Lung is not who he was before. He has hired workers, so he no longer spends time working in his fields, he has become wealthy, he has two wives, and his children are spoiled; ultimately Wang Lung became so "satisfied" that he can never be satisfied. He has lost purpose to life.

5-17-11
I had other posts on here, but they disappeared, so I will get them re-posted soon. This poem is in response to Wang Lung's wife Lotus, who lives a life of luxury, compared to Wang Lung's first wife O-lan, who lived as a slave, was bought as a wife, and lives as a slave to Wang Lung and their children.

For the first,
only a memory remains,
not even a question of where the meal came from.

For the latest,
a fantasy truly lived,
but satisfaction is short lived here.

Working from dawn to dusk,
and all the time in between,
a servant in her own home.

In the seemingly perfect life,
but it's not always so great,
when all you want, is to be.

Her love is fake, it has been purchased.
Children and a home,
an attempt to fit in.

Her love is fake, it has been purchased.
Money and a home,
to feel satisfaction.

4-28-11
One of the things that really got to me in this book is that Wang Lung feels ashamed whenever he thinks that O-lan might have feelings. How would she feel? Oh, how silly of me, she is only a woman. For that reason, I wrote this poem about how O-lan is "only a woman".

Dishes, Laundry, Housekeeping galore,
Never a moment for herself.
It doesn't matter how she feels,
For she is only a woman.

The life of the party,
Yet he gets all the glory.
Opinions and fears aren't relevant,
For she is only a woman.

The past, the present, the future,
A challenge non the less.
Yet, nothing can stop her,
For she is only a woman.



4-27-11
In the novel, The Good Earth, Wang Lung is so concerned with finding a wife, that he goes and asks for a slave from a wealthy home. Wang Lung doesn't want a pretty woman. Even though Wang Lung asks for an "ugly woman, he has specific specifications according to looks that the woman must fit. His father goes to the home with silver jewelery that they have washed gold. Wang Lung is already showing that he is not committing to a true marriage with O-lan and only wants to fit in.