Worthless. Slaves. These are just the words commonly used to describe women in The Good Earth. Not too pretty, huh? Some of the women in this novel are not even second-class citizens: they're barely considered human at all.
While this may be the official stance on women in turn-of-the-century China, there's a lot going on in the background. Wang Lung is the title character of the novel, but it's really the women in his life who steal the show, and that tells us a lot about the status of women in families and communities at the time.
Questions About Women and Femininity
- Compare the male characters to the female characters in this novel. Which characters are more complex? Which characters do you identify with more?
- Pearl S. Buck has been called a feminist. Based on your reading of The Good Earth, do you agree? Why or why not?
- What relationships do women have with each other in the novel, if any?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Women have no power in The Good Earth.
The only way for women to gain power in The Good Earth is through beauty.