Foil

Character Role Analysis

O-lan and Lotus

If you put together all the women in The Good Earth, you'll probably end up with the ideal Chinese lady, as least as Buck imagines her. O-lan and Lotus represent opposite sides of that lady. On the one hand, the ideal lady is beautiful like Lotus. On the other hand, she is hardworking like O-lan. But without Lotus we wouldn't understand how unattractive Wang Lung considers O-lan, or how uniquely hardworking O-lan is in comparison to other women.

All of O-lan's faults are Lotus' good points, and vice-versa. They couldn't be more different, but by contrasting with one another, Buck help us to understand the role of women in this society.